Mombasa actress Ndubi loses battle to cancer

Mombasa-based actress, Bwire Ndubi, has succumbed to cancer while receiving treatment at Acibadem Maslak Hospital in Turkey.

She played many roles in local television drama series, including Penzi (Raia TV), Kisasa and Tehanini (Maisha Magic East), Kalimani Dynasty (KTN), and Sultana on Citizen TV.

Two years ago, Ndubi revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Family spokesperson Eugene Auka confirmed that Ndubi lost the battle to cancer on Wednesday morning in Turkey.

“We will share more details in due course,” he said.

The family is working on modalities to bring her body back to Kenya.

Ndubi was an alumna of Makerere University in Uganda, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (industrial interior design). She passed away aged 36 years.

She was the only child of veteran journalist Edmund Kwena and his wife Stella Anyonje.

Last week, Ndubi and her mother left Kenya for Turkey for further medical attention after her condition became complex.

She had been treated in Turkey in May and returned home to continue recuperating.

In a short video on her social media channels, Ndubi said doctors in Turkey had already carried out some tests on her and were ready to begin working on her treatment plan.

“We finally made our way to Turkey. Thanks for the support. I have already seen my doctors, they have conducted some tests and working on the treatment plan. I’m starting treatment soon and I will come back home victorious,” she said.

In 2023, during an interview with the Star, the actress said she would want to be remembered for encouraging a drowning soul.

Before being diagnosed with breast cancer, Ndubi said there were red flags that if acted upon much earlier, she would have arrested the situation.

“Unfortunately, I did not know then what I know now, and by the time I got confirmation from the doctors, the direction was towards getting treatment as opposed to prevention,” she said then.

She said her cancer journey had been "extremely eventful".

“Mentally, physically and financially, it has rocked every fibre of my being. There is so much lack of information, too much confusion and there is a need for firmness, clarity and a strong mindset,” she said.

In her quest to treat the disease, Ndubi had encountered many challenges, including exorbitant costs for medication because of unregulated prices and struggling with medical insurance.

Others were unavailability of proper drugs as well a lack of knowledge of the difference between genuine and generic drugs.

“The current approach to cancer management is largely commercial-based with a lot of emphasis on the cost as well as insurance. There is little focus on how best to manage it with little to no resources,” she said.

In her first treatment to Turkey early this year, she was supposed to raise Sh7 million. On her second visit in August, the family was required to raise Sh2 million.

Family and friends on all two occasions came up with ideas on how to raise funds.

Last Saturday, the Mombasa creatives fraternity conducted a fundraiser for her at the SwahiliPot Hub in Mombasa town to raise more funds for her treatment.

Eight years ago, Ndubi's mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer, but she was treated and is doing fairly well.

Due to her experience and that of her mother, the actress established The Bwire Ndubi Warriors Foundation to help prevent cancer within the community through teaching about healthy living.

“I started this foundation in honour of my mother, who has walked this path before me. Upon being her caregiver eight years ago, I knew no one should have to go through this journey alone,” she said.

Ndubi did not ever imagine that one day, she would be diagnosed with cancer, and this reminded her that she needed people who understood exactly what she was going through.

“I needed someone who could speak the cancer language from experience, not merely books. My mother was that for me. She inspired me to want to stand for many out there who did not have a mother like mine,” she said.