Why all Kenyans must unite to stop cervical cancer

Every day, mothers, daughters and sisters in Kenya lose their lives to cervical cancer, a largely preventable disease. In 2022 alone, 6,000 women were diagnosed, and 3,600 died.

With collective action, we can turn the tide and become champions of elimination. Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection responsible for other cancers, including throat, anal and penile cancers.

What makes cervical cancer unique is that it is both preventable and treatable through HPV vaccination and early detection via effective screening. Recognising this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has set ambitious targets to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Kenya.

The global 90–70–90 strategy calls for vaccinating 90 per cent of girls against HPV by age 15, screening 70 per cent of women with high-performance tests (HPV DNA testing) by ages 35 and 49, and providing appropriate treatment to 90 per cent of those diagnosed with cervical disease.

Kenya has taken significant steps toward this goal. Last week, the Ministry of Health launched the 2026–2030 Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan, which provides a strong framework to accelerate Kenya’s progress and signals renewed political commitment to end preventable deaths from cervical cancer. Importantly, it recognises that elimination will not be achieved by the government alone.

It calls for collective action, bringing together communities, health workers, faith leaders, civil society, researchers, and development partners.

A major pillar of elimination is a strong HPV immunisation programme. Kenya introduced HPV vaccination in 2019, targeting girls aged 10–14 years. Initially, the vaccine required multiple doses, which posed challenges for follow-up. However, new evidence, including data from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, demonstrated that a single dose is equally effective.

In October 2025, the Ministry of Health adopted the single-dose HPV vaccine schedule, simplifying delivery and increasing the potential to reach more girls. Despite progress, gaps remain. Girls who are homeless, living in refugee settings, or in pastoralist communities are still at risk of being left behind.

At the same time, misinformation and disinformation continue to fuel vaccine hesitancy, which threatens uptake. Encouragingly, religious leaders, including bishops and representatives of SUPKEM, have publicly affirmed their support for HPV vaccination. Countries like Scotland, Australia, and, more recently, Norway, have demonstrated that cervical cancer elimination is achievable, especially among vaccinated cohorts of women.

Lessons from International Centre for Reproductive Health-Kenya (ICRHK) through its drop-in centres (DICEs) in Kilifi and Mombasa counties show that they provide health education on cervical cancer prevention and care, promote HPV vaccination, and offer screening services.

This needs to be replicated across the country because no woman should die from cervical cancer. For the Ministry of Health’s action plan to succeed, urgent steps are needed, such as mobilising domestic and donor resources, engaging the private sector and civil society, and meaningfully involving communities and cervical cancer survivors. 

-The writer technical lead at International Centre for Reproductive Health-Kenya.