The Kenya Network of Cancer Organisations (KENCO) has petitioned the National Assembly to intervene and ensure an enhancement of oncology benefits and adequate allocation of funds to the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.

In the petition presented to the House by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss on Tuesday, 7th October 2025, KENCO, which represents over 70 civil society groups and thousands of cancer patients, raised concerns about inadequate cancer financing, bureaucratic delays, poor communication, and lack of transparency in the management of SHA funds.

"The Organisation is seeking to highlight systemic failures experienced through the Social Health Authority (SHA), and to call for urgent reforms in cancer care financing. Various challenges have been encountered by cancer patients through SHA in the following ways: reduced and inadequate cancer benefit packageS, bureaucratic delays and system failures, poor communication and lack of transparency, service suspensions due to pending bills, overseas treatment policy changes, underfunding of SHA funds and emotional and mental strain," reads the petition.

The organisation cited the reduction of the cancer benefit package from Ksh 600,000 per individual under NHIF to Ksh 400,000 per household under SHA as a major setback for families battling cancer.

The petitioners also pointed to frequent service suspensions due to unpaid bills, changes in overseas treatment policies, and underfunding of critical health funds.

Kenya Network of Cancer Organisation (KENCO) further contends that universal and fair health coverage remains far from reality for cancer patients. It requires urgent reforms, otherwise cancer patients will continue to experience needless delays, overwhelming costs, and avoidable deaths.

The Kenya Network of Cancer Organisation (KENCO) has called for an independent audit of SHA funds, reviewing benefit structures, creating reforms for fairness and sustainability in cancer care financing.

The petitioners have also called on lawmakers to enhance oncology benefits and reform benefit structures to ensure fairness and sustainability in cancer care financing through adequate allocation of funds to the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.

Deputy Speaker Boss committed the petition to the Departmental Committee on Health for investigation and recommendations, noting that the Committee is already handling similar concerns raised by patients and stakeholders in the health sector.