This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On August 2, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta made a commitment to address the growing cancer scourge in Kenya, stating that the government would increase funding for cancer management and establish treatment centers to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the disease.
Speaking at a requiem mass for former Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, who succumbed to cancer on July 29, President Kenyatta said that cancer specialists would be trained and posted to work in the new centers, which would be upgraded to reduce the number of people seeking treatment abroad.
As a tribute to Joyce Laboso, a cancer clinic at Longisa County Referral Hospital will be equipped with a chemotherapy machine by September, he said. The clinic will also have additional radiology centers and three similar facilities in Garissa, Mombasa, and Nakuru counties.
President Kenyatta announced plans to set up ten chemotherapy centers in various counties, including Mombasa, Kisumu, Kakamega, Garissa, Nyeri, Nakuru, Meru, and Machakos. The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Uasin Gishu will also be upgraded by the national government.
He also announced the opening of the ultra-modern Kenyatta University Hospital next month, which will have facilities for cancer treatment. Two centers of excellence will be put up in Kisii and Nyeri counties by next year.
President Kenyatta urged Kenyans to change their lifestyles to prevent and manage cancer cases, saying that as leaders, they must put their efforts together to address the cancer scourge that has killed many people.
