Kilifi records 126 breast cancer cases as county steps up screening drive

Kilifi County recorded 126 breast cancer cases between 2025 and 2026, accounting for 22 per cent of all cancer cases reported among residents, as health officials and community organisations step up efforts to promote early detection and treatment.

The county government is working with health stakeholders to increase awareness and expand access to breast cancer screening, particularly in rural communities where patients often face challenges accessing diagnosis and treatment.

Hassina Nassir, head of Operation Kilifi County Emergency Medical Services, said the county was working with organisations supporting patients while expanding community outreach through mobile clinics and other screening initiatives.

She singled out Steps of Hope for supporting breast cancer patients, saying its work had given hope to families who previously watched relatives suffer without access to treatment.

“We join the Steps of Hope organisation to commemorate cancer awareness and to walk with them. In Kilifi County, we are privileged to have a cancer centre and we do frequent monitoring and community mobile clinics. By teaming up with stakeholders, we hope to manage cancer cases in our midst,” Nassir said.

Chariti Karimi, director of Steps of Hope, said the organisation was working with the county health department to expand screening services to villages across Kilifi.

She said the goal was to improve early detection, which can increase the chances of patients accessing treatment before the disease advances.

“As we start this World Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Malindi town, we call for stronger action on awareness, early detection, timely treatment and access to quality care so that our families with breast cancer patients can feel loved and cared for,” Karimi said.

Steps of Hope, which was established two years ago, has so far supported 10 breast cancer patients, according to Karimi.

She said two patients joined the programme when their disease was already at an advanced stage and later died.

The organisation is working with cancer specialists in Kilifi and Mombasa to support patients undergoing different forms of treatment, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The county’s latest figures have renewed calls for more community-level screening and awareness, particularly in areas where limited access to health services can delay diagnosis.

Health officials and community organisations are now seeking to strengthen collaboration to take screening closer to residents and improve access to treatment for patients diagnosed with the disease.