Kenyan Scientist George Njoroge Secures Sh446 Million Cancer Research Grant

Kenyan chemist George Njoroge has received a Sh446 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research to support research into the early detection and treatment of oesophageal cancer in Kenya.

The funding will support a partnership between Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital, University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The project focuses on improving access to cancer screening and treatment in counties with limited healthcare services.

The grant coincides with Njoroge’s recognition at the Greater Manchester Cancer Awards, where he was honoured alongside Robert Bristow. Their programme has introduced mobile diagnostic clinics in several Kenyan counties, trained hundreds of clinicians and community health workers, and carried out more than 1,000 endoscopic procedures.

The initiative adapts screening methods first developed in Manchester for lung cancer detection and applies them to Kenya’s healthcare system. Mobile clinics have been deployed in Kisii, Nyeri, Nakuru, Kiambu and Meru to improve access to diagnosis and encourage earlier treatment.

Njoroge said early detection remains essential because cancer is easier and less costly to treat when identified at an earlier stage. Researchers involved in the project hope the findings will help shape national health policy and support wider cancer screening programmes in Kenya.

Njoroge is also known for his work in global medicine. He contributed to the development of Victrelis, the first FDA-approved hepatitis C protease inhibitor, and later led the development of Zokinvy, originally developed as Sarasar for the treatment of progeria.

His work has earned international recognition, including induction into the American Chemical Society Hall of Fame and the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers and holds over 100 US patents, becoming the first African scientist to reach that milestone.

Born in Kiambu County, Njoroge studied organic chemistry at the University of Nairobi before continuing his graduate and postdoctoral research in the United States. He said his long-term goal is to establish a biotechnology company in Africa to support young scientists and expand research on the continent.