Governors raise concern over high cancer prevalence in Mt Kenya region

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, who is the chairperson of the Central Region Economic Bloc/ALICE WAITHERA

Governors from Mt Kenya have expressed concern over the rising cases of cancer in the region.

The governors, who spoke in a meeting that included county health executive from the Central Region Economic Bloc on Monday, said almost every homestead has been affected by the disease.

Counties such as Nyeri, Murang’a, Embu and Kirinyaga have been ranked among the top 10 in cancer prevalence nationally.

A report tabled before the Senate by the Ministry of Health indicated that Nyeri had 2,127 cases in every 100,000 people, followed by Murang’a with 2,123 cases, Kirinyaga 2,033 and Embu 1,906 in 2022.

Taita Taveta followed with 1,884, Kiambu 1,793, Nyandarua 1,776, Vihiga 1,766 and Laikipia 1,740 cases, with North Eastern ranked lowest in prevalence.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, who is the chairperson of Cereb, said inability to diagnose cancer early leads to loss of life.

“Personally, I lost a father-in-law last year after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in stage four. That’s our challenge. Many times, they diagnose when cancer is in its later stages,” he said.

Nationally, about 29,317 people lose their lives to cancer while 44,726 new cases are diagnosed every year.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country after overtaking cardiovascular diseases, with non-communicable diseases taking the lead.

Breast cancer is the most common among women with annual diagnosis of 6,800 cases and over 70 per cent diagnosed late, and is the leading cause of death in women.

About 5,200 new cases are diagnosed with cervical cancer that kills approximately 3,211 people annually in Kenya and over 10 million globally.

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent among men, with about 3,400 diagnosed annually.

According to Global Cancer Observatory, prostate cancer accounts for about 21.9 per cent of all cancers in Kenyan men.

In Nyeri county, the cancer represented about 10.8 per cent of cancer cases among male patients from 2017 to 2022 and 8.6 per cent in Nyandarua, with over 80 per cent of all cases diagnosed in advanced stages which contributes to poor outcomes.

Kahiga said CEREB will be making cohesive decisions to combat the disease, especially by taking steps to make screening easier.

“While regions such as North Eastern grapple with malaria and tuberculosis, we are struggling with non-communicable diseases and it’s upon us to work together towards solving our issues,” he said.

Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki said the stigma surrounding the diseases discourages many from getting screened.

“Usually, people fear getting tested because they think when they are told they have cancer, it is a death sentence. Many see it as an expensive disease to test and treat”.

He noted that the only way to effectively tackle it is to create awareness on better lifestyle habits and making diagnosis accessible at the grassroots.

Njuki added that the earliest interaction Kenyans have with health care is with community health promoters and that they should have their capacity built to help people seek early testing.

“Most cancers are diagnosed at level four and five hospitals and sometimes it is too late,” he said.

The governor said they are now seeking partnerships with healthcare institutions that offer cheaper screening to have most of the health centres in counties advance early screening and detection.

Earlier in the year, Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma appealed for support from the national government to fight the rising cases of cancer in the county.

A research released in 2023 by the British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research indicated that the prevalence of cancer in people visiting hospitals in Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties stood at 0.32 and 0.38 per cent respectively.

Mutuma urged President William Ruto to fund a Sh1.9 billion cancer centre that had been proposed by former Governor Kiraitu Murungi.