Govt seeks World Bank funding to remove cancer-linked asbestos roofs
By K24 Digital Reporter, October 10, 2025The government is seeking tens of millions of shillings from international financiers, including the World Bank, to facilitate the removal of harmful asbestos from housing units across the country.
This comes after the cabinet okayed the removal of decades-old and cancer-linked housing roofs, which are to be replaced by modern and green-backed materials.
In a press briefing on Friday, October 10, 2025, during a tree planting exercise at Naivasha Boarding Primary, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga said the government is engaging the World Bank and the European Union to fund the exercise, which he termed as expensive to be left to the government alone.
Also watch: Experts weigh in on the directive to remove all asbestos roofs from all buildings in the country.
“The removal of cancer-linked asbestos roofs requires huge funding and special handling to remove, and we are engaging international financiers to provide the funding”, the PS said.
Hinga said there are more than 120,000 housing units that require removal of asbestos, which requires huge funding and special expertise to handle the materials.
So far, he said more than 257,000 units are currently being undertaken across the country, where over 300,000 Kenyans are working daily.
Cancer scourge in Kenya
This comes amid governors’ concerns over the high cancer cases in counties, even as the government continues to push for Universal Health Coverage and the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Counties such as Nyeri, Murang’a, Embu, and Kirinyaga have been ranked among the top 10 in cancer prevalence nationally.
A report tabled before the Senate by the Ministry of Health indicated that Nyeri had 2,127 cases in every 100,000 people, followed by Murang’a with 2,123 cases, Kirinyaga with 2,033 and Embu with 1,906 in 2022.
Taita Taveta followed with 1,884, Kiambu 1,793, Nyandarua 1,776, Vihiga 1,766, and Laikipia 1,740 cases, with North Eastern ranked lowest in prevalence.
Nationally, about 29,317 people lose their lives to cancer, while 44,726 new cases are diagnosed every year.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country, after overtaking cardiovascular diseases, with non-communicable diseases taking the lead.
Breast cancer is the most common among women, with an annual diagnosis of 6,800 cases and over 70 per cent diagnosed late, and is the leading cause of death in women.
About 5,200 new cases are diagnosed with cervical cancer, which kills approximately 3,211 people annually in Kenya and over 10 million globally.
Prostate cancer is the most prevalent among men, with about 3,400 diagnosed annually.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, prostate cancer accounts for about 21.9 per cent of all cancers in Kenyan men.