Catherine Wachira is a career lawyer and a patient rights advocate with the following achievements:
- A legal practitioner of over 25 years standing running a law Practice in Nairobi.
- A passionate cancer patient rights advocate for over 12 years moved by experiences in her cancer screening and advocacy work that highlights the inequality in the local healthcare system.
- A Director at the National Cancer Institute of Kenya, a Government Agency under the Ministry of Health, where she represents civil society and the patient voice.
- A Board Member of Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) providing legal and governance skills and advisory services to the KEHPCA Board.
- A Founder Member and the current Board Chair of Women For Cancer Early Detection and Treatment, a Non-Governmental Organization formed to address the cervical cancer burden in Kenya, and is committed to see that the work of “Women 4 Cancer” will contribute to the WHO’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by the year 2030.
- The immediate former Board Chair of Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations, the national umbrella body of cancer civil society organizations active in various aspects of cancer control in Kenya.
- Worked closely with the National Cancer Control program (NCCP) at the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to develop the Community Health Volunteers (now Promoters) curriculum on cancer prevention and control, The National Cancer Control Strategy and the National Communication Strategy and in development of IEC materials.
Catherine’s dream is a Kenya where quality cancer treatment is accessible and affordable to every Kenyan irrespective of their financial circumstances and is motivated by the call that a unified approach to cancer control will help in the fight against cancer in Kenya.