Nairobi — Over 2,000 vulnerable cancer patients are set to benefit from a KSh 1.5 million donation by THX22 Foundation to the Needy Cancer Health Initiative (NCHI), a community-led group supporting underserved cancer patients across the country.
The funding will go toward medication, nutrition, housing, and Social Health Authority (SHA) cover for patients unable to afford treatment. The initiative was announced ahead of the NCHI Charity Marathon, scheduled for July 26 in Nairobi.
“Part of our responsibility to society is to be able to connect with our community,” said Joash Ajuoga, General Manager of 22Bet Kenya. “THX22 Foundation is our charitable hub. It’s how we reach places we cannot get to directly as a business.”
Representing the foundation, Paolo Abenavoli, Head of Projects in Kenya, said the donation marked a shift into health support. “We are entering a new area of support we haven’t tackled before, cancer care. Kenya records over 47,000 cancer cases annually, and 27,000 people lost their lives last year alone. We believe the most affected, those from low-income communities, deserve urgent intervention.”
NCHI was founded by Nana Kilemi, a breast cancer survivor who turned her personal experience into a cause. “When I got diagnosed, I was treated in a public hospital and I saw the suffering around me. Many women traveled long distances only to sleep on benches, unable to access treatment because they couldn’t pay the KSh 6,000 SHA cover,” she said. “Even before I completed my treatment, I rallied 14 of my friends. We each contributed to pay for one patient. That’s how NCHI began.”
What began with four patients has grown to support 278 active cases, with a database of more than 2,000 people. “These people are unknown, unseen, and unheard. We call them the untouchables. We don’t just pay for their medical insurance. We give them food, breast prosthetics, mastectomy bras, livelihood opportunities, and dignity,” said Kilemi.
The donation will also cover logistical costs for the upcoming charity run, whose proceeds will go toward establishing a Cancer Rescue Centre in Meru County. “We are aiming to raise KSh 10 million to establish a facility where abandoned cancer patients can find shelter, get food, and access palliative and curative care,” Kilemi said.
Gacheri Mwenda, NCHI’s co-founder and CEO, highlighted the socio-economic toll of untreated cancer. “Cancer brings immense suffering, especially when coupled with poverty. We’ve seen cases of gender-based violence where women are thrown out of their homes because their illness is seen as a financial burden.”
Mwenda urged Kenyans to support the cause. “Imagine being poor, sick, and unable to eat. We realized early that patients were dying not because treatment failed, but because they were going home to strong tea and no food after chemotherapy. That’s why we introduced food baskets. Contribute a basket. Show up for the run.”
She explained that the planned rescue centre is not a hospital but a transitional shelter. “It will provide temporary shelter, food, pain management, and emotional support for patients abandoned by their families. With this centre, we can receive them, stabilize them, and link them to hospitals for continued care.”
Beyond housing, the centre will run small-scale income projects for survivors. “Many patients lose the use of their arms after surgery, especially women with lymph node removal. So we’re launching programs in poultry, rabbit keeping, soap making, and beadwork,” said Mwenda. “We’ll sell these products locally and online to ensure sustainability.”
Jennifer Chelimo, a breast cancer survivor, gave a moving testimony. “I had no food. I couldn’t pay for NHIF. I walked from Kenyatta National Hospital back home, hungry and hopeless. Then a friend connected me to Nana. They paid for my NHIF, gave me food, and supported me through treatment.”
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“I got chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and prosthetics. Now I can balance. Now I can smile. If NCHI hadn’t come, I don’t think I’d be alive today,” she added.
According to Mwenda, the group has so far supported 278 patients. “We started small, KSh 1,000 per month from each of us, and today, we’ve touched hundreds of lives. With more support, we can double, even triple that.”
She stressed the need for early detection. “Kenyans often find out they’re sick at stage 3 or 4. Especially men. If we can push advocacy through churches and counties, and normalize screening, we can catch the disease early. 80 percent of cancers are treatable when detected in time.”
“This is not just a cancer initiative,” Kilemi concluded. “It’s a revolution of kindness. Let’s not let anyone die alone, hungry, and in silence. Not when we can do something.”
