MPs call for urgent action to stop rising cancer deaths
Health & Science
By
Mercy Kahenda
| Apr 02, 2026
MPs call for urgent action to tackle rising cancer deaths. [File courtesy]
The National Assembly has resolved to engage the Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders to address the increasing number of cancer-related deaths.
During a session to adopt the Departmental Committee on Health's April schedule, members emphasised the need for a lasting solution.
Prof Jaldesa Guyo (Moyale MP) and Dr Robert Pukose (Endebess MP), who are medical doctors, observed that the deaths would be reduced if the disease were diagnosed early.
“We have forms of cancer that are preventable, such as cervical cancer. If, as a committee, in conjunction with female lawmakers, we champion early screening and uptake of the HPV vaccine, we will reduce the number of people affected by the disease,” said Jaldesa.
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Pukose urged for more investment in research and empowering institutions such as the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute to assess the types of cancer affecting people and their regional distribution.
“To understand the problem we are dealing with, we must examine the regional distribution of cancer and even narrow it down to specific types that may be prevalent in certain areas. We also need to engage institutions like Kemri and consider increased funding for cancer research,” he said.
Data by the Ministry of Health shows that at least 42,166 new cases of cancer are reported every year, with 27, 092 deaths.
The top five cancers in Kenya are breast, cervical, prostate, oesophagus and colorectal. At least nine women die of cervical cancer every day.
But late diagnosis remains a concern, with at least 70 per cent of cases diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Committee Chairperson James Nyikal (Seme) called for more awareness. “We need a serious national cancer dialogue. The dialogue should start by establishing the status of the disease, the national response, and the magnitude of the problem. As a committee, we are ready to spearhead the process with key stakeholders,” said Dr Nyikal.
Team members admitted that the disease requires a multi-agency and multifaceted approach similar to how HIV and Aids, which was reported in the country in the 1980s, was handled.
To ease the burden of cancer care amid the implementation of the universal health coverage, the government established regional centres in Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kisii and Garissa.
But only the Nakuru centre is fully operational, while Garissa and Mombasa report numerous breakdowns and Kisii and Nyeri are yet to open.
Garissa centre serves patients from Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Tana River and Lamu counties, and parts of Ethiopia and Somalia.
The Coastal General Hospital caters for those from Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Tana River, lower parts of Makueni, Machakos and Kitui, and neighbouring parts of Tanzania and Somalia.
Some patients from these regions are also flocking to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for treatment.
Nyeri centre, expected to serve the entire Central region, is only offering chemotherapy services, with the radiology department yet to be activated. The bunkers at the unit have not been constructed, and the machines are yet to be procured.
In Kisii, the centre to serve Nyanza and Western is under construction.
“Cancer treatment in our country is depilated. If a patient requires comprehensive treatment, they are mostly confined to KNH and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital,” Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge told The Standard.
Initially, the national government built the centres and provided the machines, whereas counties where the regional centres are domiciled are required to pay healthcare workers.
The counties also buy consumables such as chemotherapy drugs and the training of staff.