In Kenya, national exams are viewed as the gateway to prestigious higher learning institutions as well as good jobs in some of the country’s most lucrative sectors.
This is the belief that Bundi Karau still holds on to date. He believes that if he had gone to a good primary school, he would have attained grades that would have earned him a spot in a high-performing secondary school, subsequently leading him to a better life.
Karau, who was among the top students in the 2002 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam, attended Kanyakine Boys’ High School in North Imenti, where he made a name for himself through his exemplary performance.
“While in school, I knew my competition was in Starehe and other top schools. I was working hard to qualify for a degree in medicine,” he stated in a past interview.
Being among the top-performing candidates in the country, Karau was selected to join the University of Nairobi to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Science between 2004 and 2010.
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He later pursued a bachelor’s degree in Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery in Medicine at the University of Nairobi.
In 2014, Karau enrolled for a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine at UoN and graduated in 2017, and later went back for a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Anatomy, where he graduated in September 2023.
“This journey seemed insurmountable 3 years ago when I set out. It almost seemed dumbfounding that I would do this. But there’s nothing determination and focus can’t achieve. It pays to start and keep moving in small steps,” he stated.
His rich educational background earned him high-profile jobs in various organisations, including the University of Nairobi, Kenya Methodist University, and the Ministry of Medical Services, among others.
He served as a medical doctor with the Ministry of Medical Services from 2011 to 2023 and held the position of senior house officer at the University of Nairobi from 2014 to 2023.
Additionally, from 2018, Karau took on the roles of senior lecturer and honorary Consultant Physician at Kenya Methodist University and Meru Teaching and Referral Hospitals, respectively.
He is also the Chief Physician at Oregon Health Services in Meru.
