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Healthcare firm lines up Sh601m specialist cancer centre in Nairobi
A patient undergoes cancer screening at the Integrated Molecular Imaging Center (IMIC) located at the Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital.
Photo credit: File | Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
RVL Healthcare, a private healthcare provider, is establishing a Sh601.2 million specialist cancer hospital in Nairobi’s Nyari area as part of efforts to expand oncology care in Kenya.
Disclosures said the facility, set to be built on a 9.3-acre parcel of land on the Westlands–Red Hill Link Road, will offer specialist services in surgical oncology, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplantation, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and palliative care.
“In Kenya, the state of public health poses a severe challenge to health care providers for multiple reasons. One of the main challenges includes medical infrastructure for the diagnosis of cancer and treatment,” the firm said in a regulatory filing.
“The proposed project shall be a self-sufficient campus with state-of-the-art specialty facilities. The primary architectural programme will include a hospital, with support facilities”.
The proposed Redhill Cancer Hospital will be an independent campus featuring a basement housing radiotherapy equipment, a laboratory and a blood bank; a ground floor atrium for registration and diagnostics; chemotherapy bays with 17 beds on the first floor alongside executive administration; four surgical theatres and a 10-bed ICU on the second floor; and 38 inpatient beds on the third floor.
The project comes at a time when cancer continues to pile pressure on the already strained oncology infrastructure in the country.
The GLOBOCAN report notes that the country recorded 44,726 new cancer cases and 29,317 deaths, with breast, cervical, prostate, oesophageal and colorectal cancers accounting for the largest share.
Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya, yet dedicated oncology infrastructure remains limited relative to demand. On the public side, Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (Kutrrh) operates a comprehensive cancer care centre equipped with a linear accelerator for precision radiotherapy and treats up to 60 patients daily.
Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) runs a major oncology unit serving about 100 patients per day.
In western Kenya, the Chandaria Cancer and Chronic Diseases Centre at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, developed through AMPATH, provides both treatment and training for oncology care.
On the private side, HCG CCK Cancer Centre is positioned as a leading specialist oncology facility in East Africa, offering services across the full continuum of care.
The Nairobi Hospital also operates a dedicated cancer care facility, while facilities such as Nairobi West Hospital and Katani Hospital provide varying levels of oncology services, including medical, surgical and palliative care.
Despite these efforts, capacity remains far below national need.
International Atomic Energy Agency data indicate that Kenya has about 10 radiotherapy centres and five brachytherapy units, less than one machine per million people, well below global recommendations.
As of 2023, the country had approximately 30 radiation oncologists, 14 medical physicists, and 45 radiation therapists.
