There was something interesting about visiting the hospital whenever Chibanzi Mwachonda was sick. He would go to the doctor in distress from his frequent asthma attacks. Medicine would be administered and in less than half an hour, he was feeling much better. Asthma was an illness foreign to him but it was an ailment that he wanted to know more about. These were two of the things that led him to pursue a career in medicine. The third was that most people in his home county of Kwale couldn’t access proper healthcare.
Chibanzi was a coast boy, finding joy in the little pleasures like relaxing by the beach or playing football with his friends. When he wasn’t making attempts at being the next Joe Kadenge, he was in class at the Word of Life Christian Academy in South Coast where his enthusiasm for learning was ever present. Football, however, would continue to be an important ‘tool’ in his future. After primary came high school. Chibanzi crossed the Likoni Ferry to join Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary and Technical School in Nyali. In 2004 he sat for his KCSE exams and scored an A- which increased his chance of becoming a medical doctor.
Joining university took him further into the country’s interior – to Moi University’s School of Medicine in Eldoret. In class with other high achievers and lots of information, he had his first wakeup call. He had no choice but to put in the effort because there was no time to fail. Failing meant repeating an entire year of school.
His long days were filled with words and formulas. The information was so much that losing momentum came easy. But he turned to his childhood love for football to stay sane. It was, after all, a healthy way to unwind. For the six years at Moi, he was the school’s football team captain and led his team towards many tournament wins in Western Kenya. The healthy outlet was necessary in his completion of school.
Post University, Chibanzi did his internship in 2014. He was posted to Kilifi District Hospital. This year long work experience exposed him to the reality of the health sector; a health system that is dysfunctional and unresponsive to the needs of the majority of Kenyans who depend on it coupled with the poor terms and conditions of work for the doctors. Eager to speak up on behalf of his colleagues and the patients, he joined Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union – the doctors’ union that represents doctors in Kenya. He started off as a National executive council member where he championed for the labour rights of doctors in Kenya. When the union had the next elections a year and half later, his dedication was so commendable that he was elected the Deputy Secretary General – a position he holds to date. He also began his work as a general physician at Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital in Mombasa.
Doubling work in the hospital and at the union gave Chibanzi the satisfaction he needed; he was attending to the sick while championing for doctors’ rights. The work at the union vitalized his ambition to further pursue avenues that would enhance his leadership skills. The result was enrolling for an online course with the University of Washington in 2017 in leadership and Management in health in order to understand health management. He also went further and undertook a course on Union rights Policy and Practice from the Global Labour University at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He currently works at the Coast General Hospital.
As an advocate of better health in Kenya, we see his passion for both his patients and his colleagues. We understand that a balance of work and outdoor activities is necessary. And we are encouraged by the little children that find their future selves from their childhood ailments.