Hundreds of cancer patients at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Oncology Centre were left frustrated and anxious on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, as delays by the Social Health Authority (SHA) disrupted life-saving treatments.

The incident has since sparked outrage, having occurred on World Cancer Day.

Patients and their families decried the slow approval process, saying they were forced to postpone chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other essential treatments due to pending SHA confirmations.

Some reported being sent home without treatment after hours of waiting, raising fears that delays could worsen their conditions.

Some patients reported that they had witnessed SHA approval delays since Monday, February 2, 2026, thus delaying their treatment.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on the night of Wednesday, February 4, 2026, Dr Timothy Olweny, Chairperson of the National Cancer Institute of Kenya (NCIK), described the situation as “tragic and unacceptable”.

While apologising to the patients, he admitted that there is a failure, which must be addressed.

“The situation that we saw today, and especially given that it is happening on World Cancer Day, is not acceptable. We can, and we must do better. There is a failure, and we are doing everything that is possible to tell our patients, We see you, we hear you, and what happened today is tragic and unacceptable,” Olweny said.

Government’s response

Principal Secretary (PS) for Medical Services in Kenya’s Ministry of Health, Dr Ouma Oluga, while responding to the outrage, had explained that the delay is likely caused by patient loss of fingerprints as a result of cancer, making it impossible to log into the SHA biometric system.

“Often, for patients who are taking chemotherapy, we have a challenge with the loss of fingerprints. Because of that, we have to have mechanisms for identification. I think it’s just about a delay that may need to be sorted, and it must be somehow unique because we are trying to make sure that as much as possible we have the correct patients getting the correct treatment,” Oluga said.

The delays come amid ongoing complaints about the SHA, which was established to streamline health coverage and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients.

Salasya blasts SHA

Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya had earlier launched a scathing attack on the SHA rollout, warning that failures in the new system are hurting ordinary Kenyans at their most vulnerable moments.

In a statement shared on X on Sunday, February 1, 2026, Salasya accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of rolling out a health policy that is failing patients, hospitals, and healthcare workers across the country.

The MP said his concerns were informed by reports from public hospitals where patients are being turned away, asked to pay cash, or left confused as health facilities struggle to navigate the new system.