From Kenya To The World: Meet 6 Highly Accomplished Kenyan Surgeons Working Overseas
In this story
- Professor J.W. Awori Hayanga – Heart and Lung Surgeon in the United States
- Dr Meryl Oyomno – Cancer Surgeon in South Africa
- Dr Bindi Naik-Mathuria – Children’s Surgeon in the United States
- Dr Naeem Samnakay –Surgeon in Australia
- Dr Victor Awuor – Neurosurgeon in the United States
- Dr Philip Munda –General Surgeon in South Africa
- Other Accomplished Kenyan Surgeons Abroad
For many years, Kenya has produced some of Africa’s highest-qualified medical professionals.
While many of the country’s sons and daughters have built successful careers at home, others have gone on to leave a lasting mark in some of the world’s best hospitals.
In this article, WoK features six of the most accomplished Kenyan surgeons working overseas.
Professor J.W. Awori Hayanga – Heart and Lung Surgeon in the United States
Prof. J.W. Awori Hayanga is a Kenyan surgeon who has risen to the highest echelons of American cardiothoracic surgery.
He currently works as a professor at West Virginia University Medicine.
There, he specialises in heart and lung surgery, transplantation and critical care.
He also directs the hospital’s extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programme, which uses specialised machines to support patients whose hearts or lungs cannot function properly.
Hayanga’s journey began in Kenya before he travelled to Ireland to study medicine.
From there, he trained at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan, the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh.
In April 2026, he was elected president of the Association of Black Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons, an American professional organisation that has over 200 members.
Dr Meryl Oyomno – Cancer Surgeon in South Africa
Dr Meryl Oyomno is the head of the Colorectal Surgery Unit at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa.
She specialises in treating conditions affecting the colon and rectum, particularly colorectal cancer.
Dr Oyomno performs numerous procedures annually while training undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.
She also practises at Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria.
Oyomno studied medicine at the University of Nairobi before proceeding to the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa for postgraduate surgical training.
In 2021, she received the Discovery Foundation Academic Fellowship Award.
Her other accomplishments include a 2020 international scholarship from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, as well as an international scholarship from a British and Irish colorectal surgery association in 2017.
Dr Bindi Naik-Mathuria – Children’s Surgeon in the United States
Dr Bindi Naik-Mathuria was born and raised in Mombasa. She works as a paediatric surgeon and professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in the United States.
Part of her work includes treating children who have serious injuries, tumours, and conditions that require specialised surgical care.
Previously, she worked as a trauma medical director at Texas Children’s Hospital, one of America’s major paediatric healthcare institutions.
Between 2022 and 2025, she was division chief of paediatric surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Her training includes general surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, paediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University.
She regularly travels to Mombasa and Uganda, where she collaborates with local surgeons to treat children with complicated conditions.
Dr Naeem Samnakay –Surgeon in Australia
Before becoming an accomplished surgeon, Dr Naeem Samnakay was Kenya’s top candidate in the 1985 KCPE examinations.
Four years later, he repeated the achievement by topping the 1989 KCSE examinations while studying at Alliance High School.
Samnakay subsequently moved to Australia to study medicine at the University of Western Australia.
He also undertook specialist paediatric urology training at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
Today, he works as a paediatric surgeon in Western Australia.
He is also a clinical associate professor at the University of Western Australia and an examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Dr Victor Awuor – Neurosurgeon in the United States
Dr Victor Awuor is a Kenyan-born neurosurgeon who has established his career at OhioHealth in the United States.
Awuor was born and raised in Kisumu and relocated to the United States aged 17.
He studied medicine at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center.
As a neurosurgeon, he treats maladies that affect the brain, spine, and nervous system, including tumours, spinal deformities, and serious neurological injuries.
He is also the founder of the Kisumu Neuroscience Initiative, which supports neurosurgical services in Kenya.
Dr Philip Munda –General Surgeon in South Africa
Dr Philip Munda was born in Nairobi before his family relocated to South Africa in 1997.
He attended school in Johannesburg, where he obtained eight distinctions in his secondary school examinations.
From there, he studied medicine at the University of Cape Town before specialising in general surgery through the University of the Witwatersrand.
Munda has trained at major South African hospitals, including Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
In 2025, he became a Fellow of the College of Surgeons of South Africa and received the Len Miller Prize for Clinical Excellence.
He also attracted international attention after participating in the sixth season of MasterChef South Africa in 2026.
Other Accomplished Kenyan Surgeons Abroad
Dr Mary Andhoga is widely recognized as the first Kenyan female surgeon.
She studied medicine at the University of Nairobi before moving to Britain, where she specialized in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
From there, she moved to New Zealand and transitioned into palliative medicine.
Another accomplished Kenyan surgeon is Dr Sonam Haria, a dental professional who specialised in oral surgery in Britain.
Her career includes a documented senior specialty dentist appointment associated with King’s College Hospital.
Likewise, Dr Beverly Cheserem has previously worked as a consultant in Britain and is a specialist in skull base surgery.
