SPEECH BY H.E.

MARGARET KENYATTA, THE FIRST

LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA, DURING THE
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 AT MOI AIR
BASE, NAIROBI, KENYA.
Members of the Kenya Defence Forces and your
families,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to be here this morning to join our gallant
soldiers and their loved ones as we mark this important
occasion of the Cancer Awareness month.
Let me begin by congratulating our soldiers for their
heroic exploits and sacrifices to protect us from external
harm especially the Al Shabaab. We are all proud to
celebrate you as our Mashujaa.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) are the defenders of both
our motherland and guardians of our frontiers; a role
whose success is key to the overall development of our
country.
However, today, I wish to speak about another unseen but
devastating enemy who continues to creep silently among
our families and loved ones.
In its wake, this enemy has left behind anguish, huge
debts among families, poverty, national economic burdens
and at its worst, death among productive members of our
society.
This
enemy
is
a disease
that relentlessly affects
people of all ages and walks of life, the educated and less
educated,
the
rich
and
the
poor
without
discrimination. This dreadful disease is cancer.
As you may recall, Kenya recently successfully hosted the
9th Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa

Conference under the auspices of the Forum of African

First Ladies.
As the current Chair of the forum, I am glad to join you
here today to underline my commitment to efforts that will
contribute to reduction of the cancer burden in our
country. Todays event is yet another opportunity for us to
advance communication and social mobilization efforts
that are geared towards greater awareness about cancer
in Kenya.
Various cancers are the top killers of thousands of
Kenyans. The disease is a growing threat to peoples
health globally and it is a major global burden on health.
Although a few cases of cancer like Leukemia are
genetic, many causes of the disease such as poor diet and
leading unhealthy
lifestyles are
avoidable
and
preventable.
Preventing cancer may sound difficult, but to reduce the
chance of contracting the disease, all you have to do is
stay healthy through diet, exercise and more importantly,
through early detection. Early detection increases your
chance of survival.
Though
our
efforts
in
fighting cancers
have
been progressing steadily despite the challenges we have
encountered, much more needs to be done at an
individual level.
Through public information campaigns, we have witnessed
improved awareness about cancer among Kenyans leading
to enhanced screening and early detection.
As a country, we have also marked other major milestones
in our war against the disease, including our success in
building the capacity of our health workers to screen and
manage the disease.

Early this year, the Government started the National

Cancer Registry, to collect data and to spearhead the fight
against
cancer.
This is the
greatest
sign
of
determination that the country is set to combat the
ravages of the disease.
In
addition,
the
recent
announcement
by Novartis International, that
it
will
make drugs
for various diseases including cancer and diabetes
available in Kenya at a very low cost, is very encouraging
news both to patients and to the country as a whole.
However, as we celebrate these achievements, we must
also fight other social challenges associated with
cancer, foremost of which is the stigma attached to the
disease.
Any
form
of
stigma
and
perceived
disgrace over cancer, or any other disease, prevents many
people from presenting themselves for screening, early
detection and possible medical intervention.
The other impediment to our fight against these cancers is
the limited resources.This is slowing down our efforts
to prevent and manage the disease. However, the
government must be commended for its continued
investment, both financial and through provision of
equipment, in collaboration with its partners.
We are determined to make sure that we turn the tide
against cancer and that we have a healthy population and
a healthy nation.
Once again, I am proud to be associated with the
commendable achievements of our soldiers whose
bravery and recognition
transcend our
national
boundaries.
Finally, I wish to thank those who organised this splendid
event, especially the Commander of the Kenya Air Force,
Major General Samuel Thuita, for warmly hosting us at Moi
Air Base.

It is now my singular honour to declare the Ministry

of Defence Cancer
Awareness
campaign
officially
launched.
Thank you for your kind attention.