From Medicine to Politics: Rare Transitions of Exceptional Doctors
It is uncommon to find exceptional physicians who have exchanged their medical practice science for the complexities of politics.
The physician-turned-politicians had perfected the art of politics, with few remembering their medical background.
GossipA2Z examines five politicians who are not unfamiliar with the surgical field.
Boni Khalwale
On Saturday, June 24, Senator Boni Khalwale of Kakamega was lauded for performing a two-hour emergency operation on a lecturer whose son allegedly attacked him.
The senator disclosed that the lecturer had sustained severe machete wounds. The tutor was rushed to Mukumu Hospital in Kakamega, which prompted the medical staff to contact Khalwale, a licensed physician.
Khalwale performed the procedure to stop the bleeding while other physicians rushed to stabilize the patient. In 1987, the senator earned a Bachelor of Medicine degree.
From 1988 to 1998, he worked as a medical officer following his graduation. Two years later, he established his private practice as a physician in Mombasa before relocating his clinic to Kakamega, where he remained in practice until 2002.
Jaldesa Waqo
Professor Waqo, a renowned lecturer at the University of Nairobi Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, practiced medicine from 1990 to 2009.
From 1993 to 1997, the former Moyale representative earned a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology from UoN.
ALSO READ: Senator Khalwale Performs Emergency Surgery on Attacked Lecturer
At the time, he began his career at the Ministry of Health as an intern and rose to the position of senior medical officer.
In 2009, he began teaching at UoN, and three years later, he became an assistant professor.
Robert Pukose
The incumbent Member of Parliament for Endebess earned his undergraduate medical degree from the University of Nairobi.
Pukose began his medical career as an intern at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital before advancing to the position of medical officer at the Kabarnet District Hospital.
In 2003, he then pursued a Master of Medicine in General Surgery. In 2008, he resumed his duties as a District Medical Officer at Koibatek District Hospital before moving on to Kabarnet District Hospital.
2013, Pukose entered politics and successfully ran for the Endebess Constituency seat. The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket re-elected him in 2022.
Nyikal James Wambura
Nyikal, a member of parliament for the Seme Constituency who is currently serving his third term, earned his undergraduate degree in medicine and surgery in 1977.
He graduated in 1994 with a Master of Medicine in Pediatrics and Child Health.
After that, he taught at UoN before assuming the position of chairman of the Kenya Medical Association from 1997 to 2003.
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In addition to serving as a member of the executive board of the World Health Organization, the politician held prominent positions within the Ministry of Health.
He entered politics in 2013 and has held the position since then.
Sam Ongeri
The octogenarian earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bombay between 1961 and 1966.
Additionally, he holds a Diploma in child health and a certificate in immunology.
The professor was elected for the first time in 1988 and has served in several ministries.
He won the Senate seat for Kisii in the 2017 General Election, but he lost the governorship in the 2022 General Election.
He received 3,782 votes, while Ezekiel Machogu of UDA received 82,104 votes. Simba Arati of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) won the seat with 270,928 votes.
From Medicine to Politics: Rare Transitions of Exceptional Doctors
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