Baringo Governor Stanley Kiptis has urged residents to use traditional herbs and consume locally available foods to counter the cancer scourge.
“Hospital drugs could assist us to some extent but let us also make use of our local herbalists to check and treat the cancerous ailments,” he said.
He addressed locals during a church fundraiser at Kaptere in Baringo North subcounty on Sunday.
The county chief said in the past people visited herbalists and their bitter shrubs could work.
Baringo North MP William Cheptumo urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare cancer national disaster. Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui also attended the event.
The leaders lamented the recent passing of Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, Kibra MP Ken Okoth and Safaricom boss Bob Collymore all from cancer.
Kiptis blamed the upsurge of the disease on lifestyle choices and on junk foods mostly taken in urban hotels.
Kiptis urged the residents to consider early screening for cancer.
The Baringo administration has installed cervical cancer screening machines in all the 64 dispensaries and health facilities in Mogotio, Barwessa, Eldama-Ravine, Marigat, Chemolingot and Kabartonjo, he said.
“We have also installed a breast cancer screening machine at the county level 5 hospital in Kabarnet town,” he said.
The county boss further urged the locals to register themselves with the National Hospital Insurance Fund to receive free services in all the county health centres.
Cheptumo, however, called upon both the national and county governments to allocate funds to put up a fully-fledged cancer screening and treatment centre in each of the 47 counties.
“As the leaders serving in the current government, we cannot sit and watch our people, including ourselves together with our colleagues continue succumbing to preventable diseases,” he said.
