Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has announced plans to establish a cancer treatment center at the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital in a renewed effort to improve healthcare access for residents of the Western region. The governor revealed the development during a church service hosted by President William Ruto at Kivaywa High School in Lugari Constituency.
Barasa disclosed that he recently held a meeting with Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale, during which they reached an agreement to set up the specialized facility. “Through our efforts, I recently had a meeting with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, and we agreed to have a cancer center at the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital,” said Barasa.
The governor emphasized that the initiative is part of a broader strategy to provide affordable and reliable healthcare in the region. He also acknowledged the national government’s support in completing the stalled construction of the hospital, which has faced delays since its inception.
Governor Barasa further noted that discussions have also been held with Defence CS Aden Duale and Environment CS Soipan Tuya. “We agreed that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will be completing the remaining phases of the hospital,” he said. A few days earlier, a KDF team had visited the site to assess the status of the construction and determine the resources needed for completion.
Initially, the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital was set to be completed in June 2018, but the timeline was pushed to December 31, 2020. Despite this, progress has remained slow. President Ruto recently directed the allocation of Sh200 million toward the facility’s completion.
The hospital project, estimated at a total cost of Sh6.12 billion, was designed to be executed in three phases: Phase I at Sh2.33 billion, Phase II at Sh2.01 billion, and Phase III at Sh1.78 billion.
Once completed, the facility enhanced by the new cancer center will play a crucial role in reducing the burden on patients who currently travel long distances to access cancer care services.
