Cancer patients in Kenya are facing critical drug shortages at public hospitals, forcing them to incur exorbitant costs at private facilities or risk their health. This situation has led to significant distress and calls for urgent government intervention to address procurement delays and ensure consistent availability of life-saving medications.

• Esther Wanjiku, a stage 4 breast cancer patient, has been unable to get critical drugs like Herceptin, Anastrozole, and Zoladex from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) since December 2025.
• The monthly cost for Wanjiku's medication at a private facility like Texas Cancer Centre exceeds Sh105,200, which is unaffordable for many Kenyans.
• Paul Mwangi, a stage 4 pancreatic cancer patient, has not received his regular octreotide injection 30mg at KNH for three months, with outside purchases costing Sh80,000 compared to Sh53,000 at KNH.
• Prisca Githuka, Chair of Education and Advocacy at the Kenya Network of Cancer Organisations (KENCO), stated that the drug shortages are a matter of life and death, pushing treatable cancers into fatal outcomes.
• Kenya records approximately 47,000 new cancer cases and 33,000 deaths annually.
• Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Medical Services, claimed unawareness of the shortage, citing global supply bottlenecks for some cancer drugs.