The Coalition for Women’s Health in Africa (COWHA), joined national and global stakeholders at the National Cancer Summit 2025 to shape Kenya’s cancer response agenda.
Under the theme “𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯,” the summit brought together leaders across sectors to confront a harsh reality:

70–80% of cancer cases in Kenya are diagnosed at late stages, driven by limited awareness, inadequate diagnostic and treatment facilities, high treatment costs, and poverty.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
✅ Integrate the HPV vaccine into Kenya’s routine immunization for girls aged 9–14 to eliminate cervical cancer
✅ Establish timely follow-up systems and decentralize cancer care to counties to enhance access, equity, and early diagnosis
✅ Promote early cervical and breast cancer screening to ensure timely detection and improve treatment outcomes
✅ Leverage AI diagnostics to strengthen early detection and align with emerging health tech policies
✅ Tap into the Global Health Security Fund to scale up national cancer control programs

At Coalition for Women’s Health in Africa (COWHA), we emphasized that advancing Kenya’s national cancer agenda is vital to global health security. We reaffirmed our commitment to:

• Elevating women’s voices in healthcare design and delivery
• Promoting widespread HPV vaccination, especially for adolescent girls
• Advocating for early detection, inclusive policy reforms, and sustainable cancer financing

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, civil society, and private sector innovators, we are aligning policies, merging resources, and scaling people-centered, preventive cancer solutions.

No woman should die from a preventable cancer. The time to act is now. 💜