Dr Oimeke Mariita was appointed CEO of Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH) on his 36th birthday, which was in March 2023. It was not by fluke for this son of a former watchman.
Living by the mantra “thoughts become things”, he had for years been preparing to take up leadership roles to impact lives and give back to the people who fundraised to help him get an education.
“As a clinician, I realised I can only impact the few people who come to my desk,” he recalls.
His goal was to help more, and so a leadership role like CEO came to his mind in his formative years in the medical field. “Even when I was an intern, I could, from time to time, talk to myself and to my friends about one day being the CEO of a large institution,” he says.
"Leadership doesn't just happen. You must start cultivating. You must plant a seed, cultivate, apply fertiliser, do irrigation, watering, pruning and so forth."
He did not let that be a mere dream, and he says that besides medical training, he has been taking leadership courses.
“There are so many things I’ve been doing strategically. I’ve done so many short courses on leadership management. For example, I have done a leadership management short course from the University of Washington. It’s a virtual programme. I’ve also studied leadership and management supervisory skills from Kenya Institute of Management where I am a permanent member. I’ve also done a strategic leadership development programme from the Kenya School of Government,” he says.
“That shows you that I’ve not just been dreaming but also waking up every morning to chase the dream.”
When taking his Master’s at Aga Khan University, he befriended the CEO’s chief of staff who could let him attend board meetings “to hear how they’re making decisions”.
“I got an opportunity to also lead the Students Resident Council at the university as the president, so all these were strategically to be able to start empowering me and get me exposed.”
Dr Oimeke studied at Sameta Intermediary Mixed Primary School from Standard One to Seven before he shifted to Sameta Boys Boarding Primary School for his final year of primary school. His father was the watchman there, and he was operating as a day student because his home was in the neighbourhood.
Dr Oimeke couldn’t join Kisii High School, but settled for the nearby Sameta Boys, where the school management waived boarding fees for him out of compassion. He excelled and joined the University of Nairobi’s medical school, from where he graduated in 2011.
His first leadership role was at Rongo sub-county where he was initially posted as a medical officer but took over as the medical superintendent when the holder took a break for studies. He then rose to the role of sub-county medical officer.
When he returned to Kisii County, he was determined to give back to the people who propelled his education, and he thinks the CEO role is the best fit. He oversees a workforce of about 800 people, with packed days of meetings and constant consultation from his boss, the Kisii Governor, Simba Arati.
He is proud of the changes he has introduced in the one year he has been in office, among them the reduction of the number of people dying within the facility, more so children.
“In the newborn unit, when I came in, the numbers were very scary. For every 100 that we could admit, we could lose up to 45,” he says. “But currently for every 100 we admit, we lose around 18,” he says.
Dr Oimeke is married with five children.
“Leadership doesn’t just happen. You must start cultivating. You must plant a seed, cultivate, apply fertiliser, do irrigation, watering, pruning and so forth. Anybody can be anything without any limitation, and the opportunities are in abundance.”
-Elvis Ondieki