MPs have accused the National Cancer Institute of not doing enough to tame the increasing cases of the disease in the country.
The legislators on Tuesday said the institute has been sleeping on its job.
The late Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore was appointed by Health CS Sicily Kariuki to the NCI board in May and was to serve for three years.
Collymore, 61, succumbed to cancer on Monday and was cremated on Tuesday at Kariakor crematorium in a private ceremony.
Murang'a Woman Rep Sabina Chege, who chairs the National Assembly Health committee, said cases such as breast and cervical cancer if diagnosed early should not be killing people.
“It is high time we took the issue of cancer seriously. As an institute what have they done? We have never heard anything from them and would like to know if they are doing their work,” Chege said.
“Are they advising the ministry on the issue of cancer in Kenya?"
She added, "We will be meeting members of the board to chart a way forward because almost every day, we have people being buried because of cancer."
Homa Bay Woman Rep Gladys Wanga referred to the institute as a sleeping giant.
She said even though the institute is mandated with collaborating with international institutions in research, no one currently knows that they exist or what they are doing.
“It is an institution that has so much that it can do for this country as far as cancer is concerned. They are supposed to tell us how many people actually have cancer and which type,” Wanga said.
She proposed that the board be invited before the committee to be given a shot in the arm in terms of resources to enable them to full fill the duties.
Wanga, who is a cancer survivor, has sponsored a bill that seeks to anchor the fight against cancer under primary healthcare.
Speaking to the Star on Wednesday, the institution's CEO Alfred Karagu said they are up and running but noted limited funding has curtailed their operation and awareness activities.
“We are currently working with whatever is within our reach,” he said.
The CEO said they take advantage of events such as World Cancer Day and Cancer Survivors Day to push the message.
“We are considering reaching out to the committee so as to air our challenges and see if we can have an increase in budgetary allocation.”
The institute, which was established under the Cancer Control Act, serves as the coordinating body for all cancer control activities in Kenya.
It has the mandate of advising the Health CS on the overall priorities that should be accorded to cancer prevention and control.
The main activities include general oversight, coordination of all activities, advocacy and awareness creation, cancer registration and coordinating cancer research.
Edited by R.Wamochie