It begun with a death in the family, then a challenge to go for a medical check-up, and then the bombshell.
When he lost his sister to cancer in 2016, Juja MP Francis Munyua Waititu was devastated.
Mr Waititu, popularly known as ‘Wakapee’, was close to his sister and her death hit him hard.
It was after the incidence that Mr Waititu, who, after all, was in good health and had not shown any signs of illness that he also decided to take tests.
Then came the shocking diagnosis. “I was diagnosed with stage two brain cancer,” said the MP.
In September 2017, Waititu resolved to fight the disease. Then followed weeks of intensive treatment.
Besides his family worrying about his health, Waititu also had to stay away from work for weeks on end, undergoing treatment in India. Upon his return he was also unable to serve his constituents as he would have liked after doctors advised him not to take on a heavy workload.
“I resolved that I was not going to let the disease put me down. I had to fight and God gave me strength and courage,” he said.
The father of four stayed in India for seven weeks and returned home in March 2018 after spending Sh8 million. He said at least Sh1.8 million went to housing alone.
During his stay in India, the MP said he interacted with other politicians, senior Government officials and well-known businessmen being treated for cancer.
At the age of 41, Kibra MP is one of the youngest Members of Parliament and a visionary who describes himself as an educator and humanist.
But in the recent years, at the turn of 40, when life literally begins, the inimitable politician has added another title to his checkered public life – a cancer warrior!
Away from the glare of the fast-paced public life, Ken Okoth has been battling colerectal cancer but still putting on a brave face to work for his people.
And he admits the diagnosis came a little too late but he will pull through.
“I was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer with metastases to the liver,” he told the Sunday Standard.
Symptoms of ulcers
Colorectal cancer, as defined by Mayoclinic.com, is when cancer develops from both the colon and rectum.
This diagnosis, however, was not easy to come by. For over a year, he presented symptoms of ulcers, at times bacterial infections and that is what he was being treated for.
He was even put on drugs to manage stress. Okoth says that all that time, he was battling abdominal pain and weight loss.
I really admire Okoth Kenneth for his bravery, besides his legislative duties & service to the people of Kibra and Kenya at large, @okothkenneth has been fighting cancer, his resilience is simply remarkable. Please sir, be rest assured that you will win this. Never giver up. pic.twitter.com/eS6ggbWRkP
— Raila Junior Odinga (@Railajunior) February 3, 2019
By the time his doctor ordered some advanced scans, the cancer was found at stage four. It was shocking news to his family.
“The fear of the unknown that accompanies a cancer diagnosis is immense. Cancer changes your life completely,” he says.
The only support system became his family, friends and the medical team.
Last year, Okoth was put through vigorous treatment that involved combined radio- and chemotherapy to avert the impending risk of organ failure.
He responded well, he says, but that was just the beginning of his long-term treatment. Considering his cancer was discovered at stage four, he will have to take medication for life – a tablet each day.
“I will be using chemotherapy tablets that I can take every morning. Because my disease was discovered at a very advanced stage; it cannot be cured. It can only be managed,” he says.
Okoth admits that getting treatment for advanced cancer is not easy in the country, a challenge he has had to deal with himself upon recommendation by his doctors in Nairobi.
He was given two options where he could seek advanced care for his liver: the US or Europe. He settled for Europe.
“I could not afford the US because it was too expensive. My wife is from Europe, where the cost is more affordable and I could get a residence permit quickly for the duration of the treatment. Sadly, not everyone is as lucky; we need to make cancer care in Kenya a national priority,” he says.
Statistics by the Kenya Network of Cancer Organisations, show that at least 40,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. At the same time, there are 27,000 deaths.