JonathanWala Kenya Renal AssociationKenya

Improving the welfare of kidney patients has been my passion for decades. Coming from a humble background, I grew up knowing people appreciate more the fact that you care than the fact that you know. I therefore trained for undergraduate and postgraduate medical degrees in the University of Nairobi, before proceeding for my fellowship in nephrology at Stellenbsoch University in South Africa, where these values were re-emphasized under Prof Razeen Davids and Prof Rafique Moosa. Coming back to Kenya, I immersed myself in patient care and determined to increase transplantation services in Kenya which were quite nascent at that time. This past decade has seen the proliferation of kidney services in Kenya. I was part of the committee of the Kenya Renal Association that set up transplant guidelines in Kenya. Recognizing that these guidelines were clinical and not regulatory, I was also involved in Kenya Renal Association\'s collaboration with Kenya\'s Ministry of Health in pushing for legislation for transplantation services in Kenya. I became Chair of the Association in October 2023 at a critical time when unethical transplant activities were taking root in our country and the nephrology community required a louder voice and more teeth to counter this. Since then we have been involved in advocating the need for safe and ethical kidney transplants, in engaging the government to improve regulation and monitoring of transplant activities, and in being active whistleblowers on behalf of the victims of unethical and illegal transplantation. Apart from these, I enjoy teaching and am a lecturer at the Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics of Kenyatta University.