This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
Published on November 29, 2019, a report by the Nation highlighted the plight of residents in Riaki and Kiegoi villages in Igembe South, Meru County, who are emerging as 'cancer villages'.
According to the Nation, more than 10 people in Riaki village were suffering from cancer or had died of cancer.
Dr Evans Amukoye, the chief research officer at Kemri, led a two-day fact-finding mission in Meru, accompanied by a team of scientists from Kemri and county officials.
Speaking after visiting various homesteads and a water source in Riaki village, Dr Amukoye said, "We have confirmed that there are many cases of cancer in this village. What we have noted is that there are many cases of tongue cancer. We are concerned that many patients are less than 40 years old. We will come back soon to conduct a research,"
Dr Amukoye noted that locals had raised concerns over the water they drink, which they suspect was contaminated by meteorite and colonial bombs as well as asbestos roofing materials.
"When we come to do the research, we will study the soil, food and other diseases that are common in these villages. We will also need to do a gene analysis to establish whether the cancers are genetic," the researcher said.
The Kemri researchers plan to work with the county government in advancing preventive and diagnostic measures aimed at containing the disease.
Dr Karoki, the county director in charge of non-communicable diseases, said the county government had partnered with Kemri, the National Cancer Institute, Amref, and Ampath in a bid to fight cancer.
"We are committed to reducing the cancer burden in the county and this is why we have an oncologist at Meru Referral Hospital. We also established a cancer registry to identify the number of patients and the types of cancers in the county," Dr Karoki said.
