Celebrating Prof Kairuki’s legacy: 26 years of his exalted services in health and education

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania this year commemorates the 26^th anniversary of the loss of Prof. Hubert Kairuki, a brainbox behind the Kairuki Hospital, this year.

However, his lifetime legacy which was woven into improving health, education and industry in the country continues to live on and will probably last for generations.

We celebrate his milestone and vision he left behind; which is consequential to availing the majority of Tanzanians to access affordable healthcare services.

Established in 1987, the Kairuki Hospital (KH), was initially a beacon of changing tides, transitioning from traditional to advanced healthcare systems in the country.

The recurring images of overcrowded and limited public hospitals not only confounded his conscience but also his heart; driving him to establish a hospital to cater healthcare services for everyone.

The Professor's leadership insights, adored by dozens of Tanzanians, placed Kairuki Hospital among the premier healthcare service providers in the country, offering quality services that comply also with the Health Ministry’s directives.

Despite such progress, still, the departed Professor felt that Tanzania was bereft of highly skilled and specialized medical professionals to provide required advanced health services.

The sitting void and the strong demand for multiple medical tertiary institutions are the reasons that led to the establishment of Kairuki University (KU) in 1997, originally named Mikocheni International University. After his passing, the name was changed to Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) as a tribute to him. In 2024, the name was once again changed to Kairuki University to align with the naming conventions of other institutions under the Kairuki Health & Education Network (KHEN) parent organization.

The University, which is fully accredited and chartered Higher Learning Institution, powers training needs for health professionals in Tanzania, and in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Professor had a clue that introducing such a higher learning institution would solve an equation for the availability of nurses, midwives and doctors.

He really wanted the skilled doctors to stay up-to-date with new technologies. His wish came true when the hospital started using High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU).

The Kairuki School of Nursing (KSN)’s introduction quenched the Professor’s thirst—of seeing both public and private hospitals be supplied with a sufficient number of nurses.

The KSN, falling under the larger arm of the Kairuki Health and Health Network (KHEN), leads the country in producing highly qualified experts around the nursing field.

Leaving no stone unturned, healthcare services were expanded to other areas of specialties to mainstream IVF services into the Kairuki’s living legacy.

Mrs Kokushubira Kairuki, a co-founder and wife of the departed leader, in collaboration with the KHEN’s Board of Directors, launched the Kairuki Green IVF to restore happiness among couples struggling to have babies.

For the record, the KHGIVF has become an exemplary facility in the world of fertility solutions using the assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Couples have had their life turned around after consulting the KHGIVF’s experts.

The Kairuki Pharmaceutical Industry Limited (KPIL) is the Professor’s last straw. His ambition was always been about easing access to pharmaceuticals for everyone.

With this facility, which produces sterile injectable, has immensely transformed the pharmaceutical industry.

Commenced in 2022, the facility looks to truncate imported medical products’ volume with improved locally produced and supplied goods to within and outside the country.

Personally, he was a man of a kind. He was strongly inclined to inspire people around him, knowing that development is not a lop-sided effort; it is a collective act as a whole.