What SHA Has Actually Changed Under Kenya's Primary Health Care framework, cancer patients can now access diagnostic tests and some surgical procedures at no direct cost. SHIF's enhanced oncology cover pays Ksh5,500 per chemotherapy session and Ksh3,600 per radiotherapy session, with the overall coverage limit raised from Ksh150,000 to Ksh400,000, and an additional Ksh400,000 available through ECCIF, bringing total possible coverage to Ksh800,000. Separately, a Ministry of Health partnership with Roche lowered the cost of breast cancer treatment from Ksh120,000 to Ksh40,000 per session, with no co-payment required. Why Patients Are Still Falling Through Prisca Githuka, chairlady of the Cancer Survivors Association of Kenya and a breast cancer survivor herself, has welcomed the expanded cover while being direct about its limits. She has said many patients are dropping out of treatment not because coverage doesn't exist on paper, but because facilities that haven't been reimbursed by SHA are turning patients away, forcing them toward private facilities they often cannot afford. The Diagnosis Delay Behind the Access Problem Dr. Oluga speaks to health professionals and stakeholders during the 2nd Artificial Intelligence in Health Workshop at Kenyatta National Hospital, held to mark World Cancer Day 2026. Source: Kenya Ministry of Health Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services, has cited a 2025 quality-of-care report showing most Kenyan cancer patients wait roughly five months before receiving an accurate diagnosis. For comparison, the United Kingdom's National Health Service requires diagnosis or ruled-out status within 28 days under its Fast Diagnostic Standard. The gap illustrates that coverage expansion addresses only one part of a much longer chain of delay between symptom and treatment. What the Kisumu Data Actually Shows A facility-level study published in May 2026 surveyed 52 cancer medicines across five therapeutic classes at five health facilities in Kisumu County, using adapted WHO and Health Action International methodology. Overall medicine availability came to just 48.1%, with sharp variation between facilities. Researchers calculated affordability in terms of days' wages required for the lowest-paid government worker to complete a standard treatment regimen, and found most regimens assessed were unaffordable for minimum-wage earners, particularly where treatment required extended duration or targeted therapies. The National Numbers Behind the Local Gap Cancer is Kenya's third leading cause of death, with more than 47,000 new cases diagnosed annually and roughly 32,500 deaths, according to Ministry of Health data. The country has fewer than 100 oncologists for a population exceeding 55 million, and Nairobi remains home to the country's only public radiotherapy centre, forcing patients from across the country to travel or seek costlier private alternatives. Why Coverage Alone Doesn't Close the Gap Kenya's National Cancer Control Strategy 2023–2027 outlines plans for a National Cancer Reference Laboratory and centralised procurement of essential cancer medicines through the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, aimed at addressing exactly the kind of stockouts the Kisumu study documented. Whether that procurement reform reaches facility shelves before SHA's expanded coverage becomes fully usable, rather than remaining a benefit patients qualify for but cannot actually use, will determine whether Kenya's cancer financing gains translate into treatment Kenyans can actually receive. _Reporting sources: Willow Health Media (2 April 2026); medRxiv, Cancer Medicine Prices, Availability, and Affordability in Kisumu County, Kenya (28 May 2026); Kenya Ministry of Health, National Cancer Control Strategy 2023–2027; Cancer Survivors Association of Kenya._