The Kenyan government has launched a major initiative to eliminate asbestos roofing from housing units across the country, citing serious health and environmental risks. The plan, approved by the Cabinet, aims to replace decades-old asbestos roofs with modern, eco-friendly materials—a move hailed as both a public health and green development milestone.
Speaking during a tree planting exercise at Naivasha Boarding Primary School on Friday, October 10, 2025, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga revealed that the government is in talks with international financiers, including the World Bank and the European Union, to secure tens of millions of shillings needed to fund the project.
“The removal of cancer-linked asbestos roofs requires huge funding and special handling. We are engaging international financiers to provide the necessary support,” Hinga said.
According to the PS, more than 120,000 housing units across Kenya still contain asbestos materials that pose significant health risks. The process, he added, demands specialized expertise and safety measures that make it too costly for the government to manage alone.
At the same time, over 257,000 housing projects are currently underway nationwide, employing more than 300,000 Kenyans daily under the government’s affordable housing and urban renewal programmes.
Cancer Burden Driving Urgency
The asbestos removal campaign comes amid rising cancer cases across the country. Several counties—particularly Nyeri, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, and Embu—have been ranked among Kenya’s top 10 in cancer prevalence.
A Ministry of Health report tabled before the Senate revealed that Nyeri recorded 2,127 cancer cases per 100,000 people, followed closely by Murang’a (2,123) and Kirinyaga (2,033) as of 2022. Nationally, 44,726 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually, with about 29,317 deaths each year.
Cancer has now become Kenya’s second leading cause of death, surpassing cardiovascular diseases. The most common forms include breast cancer (6,800 new cases yearly), cervical cancer (5,200 new cases, causing over 3,200 deaths), and prostate cancer, which accounts for nearly 22% of all cancers in men, according to the Global Cancer Observatory.
The government’s asbestos phase-out aligns with its broader Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Social Health Authority (SHA) agendas, underscoring a renewed national focus on preventive health measures and environmental safety.
