The East African Gazette
Kenya
Kenyan senator Isaac Mwaura has asked the Government to support Uganda’s Albinism society in curbing the increasing death of people living with albinism caused by skin cancer.
Mwaura Kenya’s member of Parliament for people living with Albinism said this while presiding over the Plight of People with Disability Conference held at Makerere University recently.
![](https://eastafricangazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Albino-girls-1-1024x873.jpg)
The senator observed that, “Skin cancer is high among people living with albinism due to the fact that they don’t have pigment meant to protect their skin from sun damage which calls for immediate intervention to take care of these people.”
Albinism is a genetic condition that is manifested at birth where a person completely or partially lacks melanin with evidence of pale or ash-grey eyes, no hair and skin color.
“People with albinism lack pigment leaving their skin vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancers associated with vision problems but the high costs of acquiring sun screen lotions makes it hard for the ordinary people to afford,” Mwaura pointed out.
Currently a tube of sunscreen lotion that lasts for a month cost between sh 300,000 and 350,000 though prices depend on where one purchases the product.
![](https://eastafricangazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mwaura-2-1024x575.jpg)
For so long people living with albinism depend on donations to access products they need for their skin considering the costs of acquiring one, hence albinos are forced to do without them which is very harmful to their skin, Mwaura noted.
As is in Kenya, Mwaura recommends that Uganda’s parliamentarians create a fund to cater for sunscreen lotions, eye care and cancer treatment if they are to reduce the rising number of people with albinism who get cancer.
These products are crucial because people with albinism are susceptible to skin cancer caused by ultraviolet rays. It is my hope that this program will help to ensure that these people don’t suffer from skin cancer, Mwaura suggested.
Recognizing that people with albinism need sun protection products is a step towards the right direction.
Jude Ssebyazi the Executive Director Uganda Albinism Society called for amendment to the current Cancer policy which the Government is championing towards fighting skin cancer.
“The cancer policy is discriminatory to people living with albinism because it does not mention the cancers that attack us. As a result, many of our colleagues die miserably since there are no dermatologists attached to Government health facilities,” Ssebyazi mentioned.
![](https://eastafricangazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Albino-girls-2-1024x748.jpg)
Ssebyazi observed that the policy does not provide for procurement of sunscreen as a drug but, rather, a cosmetic yet that lotion is applied in form of creams to prevent direct sun from penetrating their skins which is expensive, scarce yet requires importation.
Products that are locally produced under a pilot project need more research to go through the scientific rigor and certification to make them available and affordable, he explained.
The population of People with albinism is estimated at one in 15,000 Sub-Saharan Africans lack melanin, which absorbs ultraviolet rays hence making their skin and hair white