Health Archives - Nairobi-Times

Specialist doctors leaving city, flock to growing Nairobi satellite towns

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:57:41 +0000

The matatu grinds to a stop outside a new shopping mall in Muthiga, near Kikuyu town, in Kiambu county. On the ground floor is a new supermarket, some electronics shops and a few unoccupied stalls. On first floor, two women sit on chairs, inside the freshly painted clinic. Dr Mary Wanjiku stands by the reception counter, smoothing a folder of notes. “I used to live in Rironi, near Limuru” she says, looking out at the street. “I’ve seen this area grow. People travel from Kikuyu, Kangemi and even Westlands to find a gynaecologist. But there was nowhere here you could just walk into and be seen.”

Dr Wanjiku, a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician, opened the clinic in Muthiga less than a year ago because, she says, “the need is obvious.” “If you’re a mother, the ideal is one doctor for every 1,000 people,” she says. “We are nowhere near that. I think we are at one doctor for 5,000, maybe 6,000 people per doctor. We are very few in Kenya.”

Kenya’s 2023 Health Labour Market Analysis puts the total health workforce across 13 major occupations at almost 190,000 active workers, but medical doctors (generalists and specialists) make up only about 6.7 per cent of that.

According to another study, there are roughly 13,000 doctors in Kenya and of those, only about 4,908 are specialists, meaning fewer than half the doctors have specialist training.

The problem is not only how many specialists there are, but where they practise. Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council notes most of the specialists are bunched in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret and Kisumu, leaving large rural or peri-urban populations underserved.

But according to property consulting firms, there is ongoing robust growth in satellite towns such as Kikuyu, Kiserian, Juja and Thika, where land and property prices remain within reach of a wider spectrum of developers and middle class families.

“Price affordability was a factor in the performance of the various satellite towns in land price movement in the quarter, showing rising sensitivity among buyers amid tougher economic conditions as towns with a more affordable price entry point outperformed nearby areas with costlier land,” HassConsult co-CEO Sakina Hassanali said in April this year.

That is one reason medical specialists like Dr Wanjiku are setting up in Nairobi’s expanding satellite towns.

“Here I see everyone,” she says.

“Lower middle class to middle class. At times women come just to ask about consultation fees, and I find myself consulting them anyway.”

Her clinic offers the full spectrum of obstetrics and gynaecology: antenatal care, deliveries, fibroid operations, menopause management, cancer screening and the diagnostic work-up for fertility problems. For the more expensive interventions like IVF, she refers patients to specialists in larger hospitals.

Such clinics were mostly available in Nairobi, at a higher cost. Fertility issues, she says, are common among the middle and lower middle people.

“We are seeing a lot of women and men now suffering from fertility,” she says.

“I have seen a mother of 23 who has been married two years and has not conceived. For women under 35 we give one year. Above 35, six months, because ovarian reserve declines.”

Her explanations point to blocked tubes from untreated infections are common, male factors account for roughly half of infertility cases, and many problems can be diagnosed with relatively simple tests before anyone talks about expensive assisted reproduction.

Pain and menstrual disorders bring their own steady flow of patients.

“People should not suffer because of pain,” she says.

“Pain is telling you there’s a problem. I have seen girls miss school and women miss work because of heavy periods or cramps. It’s manageable.”

She describes how she designed the clinic for privacy: separate consultation rooms, a procedure room placed away from the waiting area, a discreet entrance, because stigma drives delay. Women worry about gossip if they seek help for sexual or reproductive health issues.

“I used to go to Westlands for a fibroid scan,” says one patient, Esther (she agreed to used only one name), who lives near Muthiga, a bustling suburb.

“The queues were long; here I come early, they see me quickly. It saves me money and time.”

Grace Mwende comes for her antenatal visits. “I feel more comfortable here. I can walk, I don’t pay for a matatu or have to drive to town.”

The move to suburban practice also exposes the financial tightrope small clinics walk.

Dr Wanjiku runs mainly on cash patients for now. “I haven’t started taking insurance,” she admits. “Claims can take years to be settled, while clinic bills, such as staff, supplies, rent, come every day.”

National reviews of health financing and provider surveys show delays and administrative burdens in claims processing discourage some private providers from accepting insurance, even when social schemes cover the services.

Official data and professional organisations agree that suburban clinics alone will not solve the national shortage of specialised services.

The Health Labour Market Analysis and the Kenya Health Workforce Report make the point that Kenya needs continued investment in training, stronger retention policies and incentives for specialists to practise outside central urban hospitals if universal access is to be achieved.

Dr Wanjiku’s vision is modest and practical: a clinic where women can walk in from their homes, be seen, treated with dignity and referred easily when higher-level care is needed. She wants to add paediatrics, partner with other specialists, and normalise conversations about menopause and reproductive health.

“Menopause is stigmatised,” she says. “People see it as the end of femininity, but I see it as an empowering time. Women can rediscover themselves.”

She says if Kenya’s specialists continue to gravitate towards suburbs rather than only the inner city, that could ease the strain on central hospitals and make care more affordable and accessible.

For the women of Muthiga, a small clinic with a capable doctor already makes a tangible difference. “If a woman can walk in, be seen, and leave knowing she’s been cared for, then we’ve done something important,” Dr Wanjiku says.

The post Specialist doctors leaving city, flock to growing Nairobi satellite towns appeared first on Nairobi-Times.

Man dead in Mombasa Road dawn accident

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:52:21 +0000

A man died in the early hours of Tuesday morning following a grisly road accident along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway in Machakos County.

The victim, identified as 35-year-old Thomas Opiyo, was killed after the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a truck in the Kasina area, Mlolongo Township, Athi River sub-county.

Police said Opiyo was rushed to Kitengela Sub-County Hospital in Kajiado but was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to a police report filed at Mavoko Police Station, the accident occurred at around midnight near Kasina AIC Church.

It involved an Isuzu FRR truck, driven by Stephen Mwoki, 39, and a TVS motorcycle ridden by Opiyo, who was wearing both a helmet and a reflective jacket.

Both vehicles were headed towards Mombasa when the truck’s cabin allegedly unlocked and overturned, obstructing the driver’s view. The driver lost control, ramming into the rear of the motorcycle before the truck came to a stop in a ditch.

Opiyo sustained severe chest and abdominal injuries. His body was later moved to Kitengela Sub-County Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem. The wreckage of the truck and motorcycle was towed to Mavoko Police Station for inspection, as investigations into the incident continue.

This tragedy happened less than 24 hours after another fatal crash on the same highway, just a few kilometres away at Primarosa area, Athi River.

In Monday’s accident, Dennis Kasyoki, the driver of a Ford Ranger, died instantly after his vehicle collided with a trailer.

Police said the Ford Ranger attempted to overtake the trailer, a Mercedes Actros ferrying a container of used shoes from Mombasa to Congo, but cut in abruptly. Both vehicles lost control and veered off the road, causing the container to topple and crush the Ford Ranger.

A passenger in the Ford Ranger, James Mwangangi Mulatya, was injured and taken to Shalom Community Hospital in Athi River, while the trailer driver escaped unhurt.

Traffic police documented the scene and confirmed that investigations into both accidents are underway.

The post Man dead in Mombasa Road dawn accident appeared first on Nairobi-Times.

Why Plant-Based Burgers Are Here to Stay

Nick — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 06:55:16 +0000

Phasellus ornare elit et sapien tempor, quis ultrices nisl semper. Sed porta odio eget sapien varius sagittis. Praesent leo diam, pulvinar vel malesuada quis, vulputate in diam. Sed dignissim ullamcorper arcu nec condimentum. Phasellus fermentum odio eu eros pharetra rutrum. leo ac justo iaculis rhoncus. Vestibulum elementum massa et nisi ullamcorper, sed lacinia nulla ultricies. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent condimentum leo vitae tellus sollicitudin, at varius tortor tempus. Nam in urna et neque efficitur lobortis. Nulla tempus luctus urna sed semper. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis.

“Love is the quiet strength that lifts us in our weakest moments, the gentle warmth that melts fear, and the unspoken language that connects souls. It’s not about perfection but about growing, healing, and embracing life’s imperfections together, with hearts wide open and boundless hope.”

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maximus ullamcorper sapien. Mauris justo ante, molestie eu turpis nec, accumsan pharetra turpis. Ut eget pretium lacus. Mauris porttitor in quam quis pulvinar. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. In eu est vitae massa convallis hendrerit nec eu lorem. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Maecenas et finibus arcu. Duis a sagittis ipsum, at lacinia leo. Aliquam erat volutpat. Curabitur neque justo, varius non ornare sed, consequat eget lacus.

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The post Why Plant-Based Burgers Are Here to Stay appeared first on Nairobi-Times.

How Skipping Breakfast May Be Harming Your Mental Health

Nick — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 06:41:19 +0000

Morbi neque enim, dapibus quis turpis at, posuere dignissim magna. Integer ac interdum sem. Vivamus iaculis, lorem in vulputate dapibus, lectus turpis varius ante, vel vestibulum nunc elit in magna. Phasellus in orci sed dolor accumsan tincidunt. Duis gravida auctor libero, non vehicula est volutpat et. congue leo ac justo iaculis rhoncus. Vestibulum elementum massa et nisi ullamcorper, sed lacinia nulla ultricies. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent condimentum leo vitae tellus sollicitudin, at varius tortor tempus. Nam in urna et neque efficitur lobortis. Nulla tempus luctus urna sed semper. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae.

“Love is the quiet strength that lifts us in our weakest moments, the gentle warmth that melts fear, and the unspoken language that connects souls. It’s not about perfection but about growing, healing, and embracing life’s imperfections together, with hearts wide open and boundless hope.”

Congue sollicitudin molestie, dolor neque malesuada sodales

Mauris tempor elementum quam. Morbi sit amet eros sit amet justo tempus venenatis

Sed Varius orci in arcu posuere
Aliquam erat volutpat. Curabitur neque justo
Duis a Sagittis ipsum, at lacinia leo
Duis suscipit magna eu ultrices condimentum

Donec eleifend gravida hendrerit. Donec lacus leo, pharetra

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The post How Skipping Breakfast May Be Harming Your Mental Health appeared first on Nairobi-Times.