If Dr Rombosia were to write a book solely dedicated to his success, his mother would appear as the most prominent contributor.
As a young boy growing up in Mumias, he was fascinated by aeroplanes.
“I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. One time when I was talking to my mum about career choice, I mentioned it. She asked me one question that changed my mind. ‘What happens when a plane crashes and people survive,’ I said, they are taken to hospital. She said, ‘well, be that person who saves people’s lives. It is a higher calling.”
He may have wanted to interact with birds that fly high but at the mention of his mother’s ‘higher calling,’ he opted to study medicine.
"“People will open up to teach you if you are humble. It also boosts your emotional intelligence, that is something you will not be taught in school.”"
As a Mangu High School alumnus, he received a scholarship to study a Diploma in Business Information Technology at Strathmore University. It is there that his technology magnet aligned with who he is today; a geospatial epidemiologist.
As a medical doctor, he now uses his technological skills acquired immediately after high school and subsequent training post-university on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to solve public health issues.
His previous work booked him a slot at the prestigious Harvard School (African School of Public Health).
He conducted research that managed to map out people living with HIV/Aids who are not on treatment in Kisumu.
He was thrown into the deep end on matters of leadership. He now swims in it as though he was born one.
“I remember my first stint as a leader. I did not know what to do. When I asked my senior, he told me I had brains and I should make use of it. Well, I did, I realised teamwork and trust are key for leadership.”
In 2019, Dr Rombosia was awarded an excellence in healthcare leadership award.
As the director of PharmAccess Foundation, he says, “I am living my dream and happily navigating my true north.”
His biggest life lesson is that the best way to learn is to stay humble.
“People will open up to teach you if you are humble. It also boosts your emotional intelligence, that is something you will not be taught in school,” says the author of ‘Dreams on a Motorcycle.’
HELLEN SHIKANDA