It takes a certain level of assertiveness to speak up and request for change, and this enviable trait is one Njeri Gitau was blessed with.
When in form 1 at State House Girls’ High School, Njeri walked up to her father and told him she wanted to go to a secondary school where she could feel more challenged. There was everything in the self-assuredness of his eldest daughter that it that led him to look for a new school. That was the long and short of how Njeri ended up at Kianda School in 1990.
Kianda was no walk in the park. It was all about performance, discipline and an added bonus were the valuable etiquette lessons that she still holds dearly today. In school, like any other student, she had a subject preference, and hers was Biology, particularly the practical lessons where lab instruments were present. Where other girls cringed at the sight of blood and insects, Njeri looked on keenly, fascinated by the internal structure of living things.
1994 went by fast. The long days glued to a text book narrowed down to a week of KCSE exams. Njeri, by then, was eager to further explore the world of biology and had even gone as far as telling her classmates – with the same self-assurance from four years before – that she would one, become a doctor, and two, open her own hospital. Things didn’t go as planned when her results came out and she was a few points shy of the cut off mark for medicine. Instead, Njeri qualified to study law at the University of Nairobi – not at all what she wanted.
Not one to throw in the towel easily, she convinced her father to invest in her A-levels which she wanted to do in London. One of the requirements for school overseas was to first garner work experience. Luckily for her, her father had a chemist in the Nairobi CBD and he was glad to have her take up shifts at his shop. Work period complete, a passport in hand, Njeri was on her way to (Ealing Independent College) for a year. In 1996 results were released and once again she was a grade away from the cut off mark. Frustrated, she looked at her options. She could either repeat form six and work smarter, or to return home and pursue law. She opted for the latter knowing that by then the family’s finances were unsteady.
Back at home, Njeri joined UoN’s school of law in Parklands. After the first year, she still keen on pursuing medicine but from where she stood, medical law seemed like the only alternative. With her mother’s encouragement, she used her A-level results to apply to Makerere University for a Degree in medicine. This time, things worked in her favour and she was off to one of East Africa’s most recognized tertiary institutions.
Uganda was much different from home. She manoeuvred through the first two years of school but when third year arrived and with it ward rounds, she had to deal with relations issues. Njeri had grown up speaking English, Kikuyu and Kiswahili but in Uganda, English and Luganda were the common languages. This made interacting with her patients difficult. She turned to her Ugandan classmates to assist with translating and maybe it was that boldness that got her request granted. However, in the fifth and final year of med school, with everyone focused on finals, she was left with no option but to learn ‘clinical Luganda’ which was enough to help her communicate with the patients in her wards. She was relieved to graduate after all the work she had put in to get into and through med school. Afterwards, she came back home and was posted at Kenyatta for her internship. Here she uncovered a new desire – to be a paediatrician.
After her internship, she was among the first cohort of doctors posted at the city council facilities. Her enthusiasm for work was disrupted by the reality on the ground. Laboratories weren’t functioning and there was no medication to administer forcing her and other doctors in her facility to send their patients to larger hospitals like Kenyatta and Mbagathi. From Kayole Health Centre (now known as Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital ) she was posted to Karen Health Centre where a new opportunity soon beckoned. Langata had been made into a district of health and The then District Medical Officer of Health was resigning and Njeri was informed on the soon to be available position. She turned to the DMOH and inquired on what the role entailed and one of the things would be overseeing the public and private health sector. Njeri only had one fear: was her two year experience as ‘rich’ as those that had been working in health for a longer time?
She had a choice and she chose to apply for the role which became her entry into public health. She was introduced to various health facilities in Lang’ata and successfully brought together stakeholders from public, private and NGO sectors at a stakeholders’ forum. This meeting gave her a chance to know the health advocates in her district and allowed her to plan her way forward. Her five-year tenure here allowed her to learn a lot about public health and under her leadership, nurses in her district received further training. Lang’ata Health Centre was transformed into a 24 hour delivery facility that could admit expectant women at any time of day – a system structure that is present to date. And the District received an award for the strongest stakeholder’s forum. More than anything, this role enabled Dr. Njeri to look beyond her dream of working as a paediatrician and opened the door to further explore public health.
The next stop in her career was as the programme manager for Africa Medical Research Foundation (AMFREF). With the ambition and zeal for work, Njeri spearheaded a programme on strengthening the M&E framework of HIV/AIDS and heath care provider capacity. She also worked with community based organizations through a grant making and capacity building programme. Going back to school was inevitable. Njeri went back to the familiar streets of London. She earned her Postgraduate Diploma and Masters of Science in Public Health from the University of London.
After five years at AMREF, she was ready to put her skills to the test in a new environment. She joined the World Bank as a Senior Health Specialist where she leads a programe focused on National health sector reforms.
At Paukwa, we celebrate Dr Njeri Gitau and those like her who get into spaces they aren’t prepared for but take the initiative to learn and make the right decisions.
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