This has been one of the oldest thematic units within the department of general surgery but it became a fully fledged department on 17th June, 2013 . The first academic member of staff was Professor Emmanuel Ayim who was appointed in 1972 as a senior lecturer and with the support of the British government through the british council lecturers from Britain were sent to this section on a 2 yearly contractual rotation to assist in training and teaching students but this arrangement was terminated in 1980. In 1979 the MMed Anaesthesia program was started under the leadership of Professor Emmanuel Ayim and with 2 other lecturers including Dr.Samuel Kimanjara Kahuho.
The first 3 trainees were Dr.Noah Nganga, Dr.John Wambani and Dr.CM Rajula who are now emminent anaesthetists in the country. The faculty has now increased to 9 with one associate professor, 5 lecturers and 3 tutorial fellows all of whom except one are graduates of the University of Nairobi anaesthesia program. The master of medicine anaesthesia program has continued uninterupted from 1979 academic year and todate has produced 160 graduates including international students from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Zanzibar and Zambia.
This thematic unit has been running a three year master of medicine in anaesthesia programme for many years and is due to commence its new revised four year programme in September 2013. Also in September 2013 it will commence a one year paediatric anaesthesia fellowship programme with support from and in collaboration with World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) . This programme will be targeting anaesthetists interested in further training in paediatric anaesthesia.
The upgrading of this thematic area to a full department this year will facilitate further growth of the practise of anaesthesia in Kenya. There is an existing Memorandum of Understanding with Kijabe Mission Hospital for use of the facility as an external rotation centre and further impetus for growth will be facilitated by the anticipated future collabration with other anaesthesia training institutions. The chairperson of the newly created department of anaesthesia is Prof.(Mrs) ZWW Ngumi.
