Government Chief Pathologist Johansen Oduor has opened up about a time he nearly walked away from his pathology career.
Speaking in an interview with NTV on Saturday, the pathologist noted that he was interested in pursuing a career in the medical field but was not keen on postmortem.
Once he graduated, however, the Ministry of Health deployed him to City Mortuary, which he admitted was his first time there.
"The reason I chose medicine was because areas like Eastlands have several challenges including shortages in medical personnel affecting healthcare. I then told my father that I wanted to be a doctor and he was shocked. He wanted me to be a teacher," he recalled.
"I was not keen on pursuing postmortem. I used to fear (the career) myself due to discrimination but after graduation, the Ministry of Health posted me to City Mortuary. It was my first time there."
Once he got there, he was hit by a stench and contemplated never returning. He was, however, inspired to soldier on in service of Kenyans from poor backgrounds, a conviction he held from his childhood.
"I was hit by a stench and I contemplated leaving but when I analysed the services, I found out that the clients are from areas such as Kibra and Mathare. I questioned myself how they would be served if I left the profession," he added.
"I love dead people compared to the ones who are still alive, dead people are harmless. You will always find them where you left them."
Born in 1974, Oduor grew up in Mathare and proceeded to the University of Nairobi (UoN) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medicine and Surgery.
He later on pursued a Masters in Pathology.
During the interview, Oduor further shed more light on his career noting that the murder of Rita Waeni was the most heartbreaking he has dealt with.
He indicated that he saw the CCTV footage of the deceased and her murderer and could not believe the eventual body he got for the autopsy.
"When you hear the history of what happened. The lady and a gent going to a room. Then when a body is brought to you, it is very painful as a human being," he added.
In a separate interview earlier, Oduor noted that he nearly switched careers after his first encounter with a corpse at the Nairobi University medical school.
“I remember my anatomy professor, the late Prof Kimani, telling us to divide ourselves into groups of seven. Each group was assigned a body that we were to dissect for the next two years," he stated at the time.
“It was really traumatic. But I told myself, ‘Well this is what it takes to be a doctor’."
