Cancer patients in Mombasa County and the wider Coast region are set to access dedicated therapy and wellness services after M-PESA Foundation and Faraja Cancer Support Trust began construction of a two-storey cancer therapy support centre at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH), the organisations said in a statement dated August 18, 2026.

The partners said the KES 63 million facility will add supportive services that sit alongside clinical oncology treatment, including counselling rooms for children and individual patients, family therapy rooms and other social amenities intended to support patients and caregivers.

The project comes as CGTRH remains the only public facility at the Coast offering oncology services, serving more than 3,000 patients monthly, according to the statement. The two organisations said the new space is intended to address rising demand for oncology services and the need for therapy support as part of recovery.

Celestine Munda, Trustee at M-PESA Foundation, said the investment targets patient flow and waiting times at the facility. “Our investment in infrastructure looks to address the delays of reaching, seeking and receiving health care, enabling Kenyans access health care when they need it, with dignity. Beyond availing clinical efficiency to patients with this additional space, it will also help reduce turn-around time given the huge numbers that visit this facility seeking treatment,” Ms Munda said.

The statement also cited national cancer care gaps, saying that “at least 80% of cancer patients lack access to comprehensive care with only a paltry 20% receiving sufficient care to manage the disease,” and that Kenya records about 48,000 cancer cases diagnosed annually. The organisations did not cite the source of these figures.

Shaira Adamali, Founding Trustee at Faraja Cancer Support Trust, said the centre is designed to respond to non-clinical needs that affect outcomes for patients and families. “Beyond its impact on health, Cancer affects the whole person. Their emotional wellbeing, families, livelihoods and their ability to cope, making it an incredibly difficult journey. Faraja was created to provide complementary support such as counselling, nutritional advice, physical therapy as well as financial assistance for patients who are struggling to access treatment, easing the challenges that cancer brings,” Ms Adamali said.

Faraja said it has provided supportive cancer care services in Nairobi for 16 years and expects the new Mombasa facility to reduce travel and related logistical costs for patients who previously relied on services in the capital. The trust said the new site will expand its reach to more patients and families along the Coast once operational.

For Kenya’s health sector, the move underlines growing reliance on public-private and philanthropic funding to expand specialised services within county referral hospitals, particularly in areas such as oncology where infrastructure and patient support services remain limited. If delivered as planned, the facility could help CGTRH manage patient volumes and provide structured psychosocial support that is often scarce within public hospital settings.

Separately, M-PESA Foundation said it has invested KES 208 million in health projects in Mombasa County, including upgrades at Likoni Sub-County, Mbungoni Health Centre, Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital and Railways Dispensary.

The partners did not disclose a construction timeline or an expected commissioning date for the new therapy centre, but said the project is intended to expand supportive care services beyond routine medical treatment at CGTRH.