KEMRI Leads Cancer Surveillance Through Regional Registrar Capacity Building

By Evans Kiptanui and Gideon Kirui

The Nairobi Cancer Registry, the designated IARC-GICR Centre of Expertise for Sub-Saharan Africa and hosted at KEMRI, successfully conducted an on-site Basic Cancer Registry Training and Mentorship Course from 8th to 17th April, 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The course aims to strengthen cancer surveillance across Sub-Saharan Africa, with the recent session bringing together cancer surveillance officers from Burundi, South Sudan, Eswatini, Botswana, Malawi, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Kenya.

The training facilitators were led by the Centre’s Principal Investigator and Head of the Nairobi Cancer Registry, Ms. Ann Korir, alongside the Co-Principal Investigator and Head of the National Cancer Registry, Ms. Gladys Chesumbai. The training also received support from various stakeholders, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)–Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR), the regional hub—the African Cancer Registry Network—and Vital Strategies.

Through intensive hands-on training, ongoing technical support, and structured mentorship, the initiative is expected to enhance the quality of data generated by cancer registries. This will enable more accurate measurement of the cancer burden, improved trend analysis, and better-informed national cancer control and prevention strategies.

A notable milestone is the ongoing discussions on establishing a Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) in Juba, South Sudan, as well as the revival of plans to establish a similar registry in Bujumbura, Burundi.

In line with the goals of the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) to inform cancer control through better data, strengthening the Centres of Expertise positions the region to generate reliable, comparable data for evidence-based decision-making.

During the course, participants had the opportunity to undertake a familiarization tour of the Centre for Clinical Research (CCR), under which the registry unit operates.

Led by the Head of the Registry, Ms. Ann Korir, they were warmly received by the Principal Clinical Research Officer, Dr. Vera Manduku, on behalf of the Acting Deputy Director of the Centre, Dr. Linus Ndegwa.

In coordination with officers from the unit, the team briefed the cohort on the foundational pillars of the Registry, its journey and key achievements, as well as its ongoing efforts to mitigate the burden of cancer on communities and health systems through reliable cancer surveillance.