The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health has approved Sh400 million to revive the stalled Cancer Centre at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH).

The committee has also pledged an additional Sh172 million to complete the building by December and set aside Sh1.6 billion for equipping the facility.

JOOTRH acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Clinton Okise told the committee that cancer centre, which had stalled for 10 years, is now 85 per cent complete.

The committee, chaired by Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli in the absence of Chairman Dr. James Nyikal, had visited the facility to assess how funds earlier appropriated by Parliament had been utilized.

Speaking when the team toured JOOTRH on Thursday, Sunkuli said both the National Government and the National Assembly were tasked to revive the facility which was elevated to Level 6 status a year ago.

“We are the ones who appropriate funds for these facilities and because of that we have the responsibility to oversight the works.” said Sunkuli.

Sunkuli said the committee will push for an additional funding in the supplementary budget to ensure the building is ready by December.

“Once that cancer centre is ready, it will serve this region, not just Kisumu, it will serve Kisii, Western, and Narok County,” he said.

The committee noted that the current oncology unit at JOOTRH is overstretched, with nearly 60 patients crammed in a small room.

Kisumu Central MP Joshua Odongo Oron, who is also a member of the committee, said the new centre will serve the entire Lake Region Economic Bloc which has about 15 counties.

“Currently people travel from Migori, Homa Bay, Kericho, Eldoret and Eldoret Teaching and Referral Hospital which is now overstretched in terms of treatment for cancer patients. This is a much welcomed unit,” said Oron.

He said that the committee is considering to factor in more funds in the supplementary budget to finish and equip the centre by December, so that residents of this region do not have to travel to Eldoret for cancer treatment.

The committee also inspected other projects including asbestos removal from roofs, which Sunkuli noted is one of the causes of cancer.

Dr. Okise said the National Assembly had previously appropriated Sh230 million for development projects and Sh1.9 billion to transition staff from the Kisumu County Government to the national government.

However, Okise said more funds are needed to address staffing gaps.

“We have told them that money is not enough, and the parliamentarians have promised that they are going to give us additional resources to equip the centre and recruit more staff,” Okise said.

“We want to confirm to the public that the cancer centre is at 85 per cent. The legislators have promised they are going to assist us in terms of equipping this cancer centre progressively,” he said.  The National Assembly team had on Tuesday visited Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) to assess cancer treatment at the hospital.

JOOTRH Board Chairman Dr. Lango Onudi assured the public that services will improve in the coming months following commitments from Parliamentarians.

The construction of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu has faced delays but is currently targeting to be complete by December 2026, following a recent high-level parliamentary engagement for emergency funding.

Data from JOOTRH’s Oncology Directorate tracks more than 4,500 cancer cases over a decade, with cervical cancer making up a staggering 64 per cent of local diagnoses, followed closely by oesophageal, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Operationalizing the JOOTRH center will directly serve 15 counties within the Lake Region Economic Bloc.

By Milton Obote and Yvonne Adhiambo