President William Ruto has announced a major reduction in the cost of medicines used to treat several types of cancer following a new agreement between Pfizer and the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
Ruto said the cost of some cancer medicines had dropped from as high as KSh1 million to less than KSh50,000 per treatment cycle.
He said the reduction covers medicines used in the treatment of breast, stomach, colon, lung, prostate and oesophageal cancers, as well as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
“Today, Kenya has made a major breakthrough in the treatment of several cancers,” Ruto said on Monday.
The President said the agreement, signed under Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World, would make the KSh800,000 cancer package under the Social Health Authority (SHA) sufficient to cover treatment without patients having to pay additional costs.
“This will make the KSh800,000 SHA cancer package fully adequate without additional cost to patients,” Ruto said.
The announcement could provide relief to cancer patients and families who have struggled with the high cost of treatment.
Cancer treatment in Kenya has for years been associated with high costs, with some patients forced to stop treatment after running out of money.
Under the new arrangement, Ruto said Kenya would also gain access to newer cancer medicines without the long wait that patients have faced in the past.
He said patients would no longer have to wait up to 10 years for some newer treatments to become available in the country.
“This agreement will also ensure Kenya accesses newer medicines without the 10-year wait that cancer patients are currently subjected to,” he said.
The agreement builds on Kenya’s entry into Pfizer’s Accord for a Healthier World, which was launched in the country in June 2025.
Under the programme, KEMSA can procure Pfizer’s medicines and vaccines on a not-for-profit basis for use in the public health system.
Pfizer said the programme covers hundreds of medicines and vaccines, including treatments for cancer and other major diseases.
At the launch of the Kenyan programme last year, the Ministry of Health said the country could save up to 60 per cent on essential medicines for cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases.
Ruto said the latest agreement would also support the development of local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Africa.
As the African Union Champion for Local Manufacturing of Medical Commodities, the President said he was pleased that Pfizer was making its technologies and newer medicines available for local production on the continent.
“We will continue working together to strengthen our Universal Health Coverage,” Ruto said.
Ruto made the announcement after hosting Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla at State House, Nairobi.
Bourla was accompanied by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Susan M Burns, Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga and other Pfizer officials.
The Pfizer Accord is a global initiative aimed at expanding access to the company’s medicines and vaccines in lower-income countries on a not-for-profit basis.
Pfizer says the programme covers 45 countries and is designed to address barriers to access, including medicine prices, supply chains and regulatory processes.
