In the wake of three prominent Kenyan leaders losing their lives to cancer in just one month, Kenyans are obviously asking more questions that need more answers.
Cancer is the third largest killer disease in Kenya after infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
According to a research done by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) at the largest cancer referral hospital in Kenya, Kenyatta National Hospital, the most common cancer cases in men are Esophagus cancer and Prostate cancer. In women, it is cervical cancer followed by breast cancer.
The data by KEMRI also shows that the most prevalent cancer among children is Leukemia.
Every year, there are 40,000 new cases of cancer that are recorded by the Ministry of Health, out of these cases, 27,000 deaths are recorded within the same period.
Majorly 60 per cent of the disease is reported in younger people aged 70 years and below.
Cancer is a non-communicable disease and it has proven very expensive to treat and manage.
The cost of chemotherapy is the reason the disease is expensive to manage.
In 2015 alone, the Daily Nation reports that Kenyans were spending over Sh11 billion on cancer treatment abroad every year.
Reports have emerged that there are over 60 Members of Parliament who are suffering from cancer, this further highlights the worse situation of the disease in the country.
This has resulted in many people calling on the government to declare cancer a national disaster. However, the disease is being attributed to changes in lifestyle, eating habits and health patterns.