Dr. James Odhiambo

Dr. James Odhiambo is a consultant general and colorectal surgeon at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi — Kenya's largest public hospital and the primary national referral institution for the country's 55 million people. KNH is also the main teaching hospital for the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences and one of sub-Saharan Africa's most significant medical centres. With 20 years of surgical experience, Dr. Odhiambo is one of Kenya's most accomplished general surgeons, holding fellowships from both the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) and the College of Surgeons of South Africa.

Kenya's cancer burden is growing rapidly, and colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and thyroid cancer are increasingly diagnosed in the country. Dr. Odhiambo performs curative resections for colorectal malignancies and coordinates with oncology for adjuvant therapy. He also performs mastectomies for breast cancer and thyroidectomies for thyroid disease.

Laparoscopic surgery has been increasingly adopted at KNH and at private hospitals in Nairobi where Dr. Odhiambo also consults. He performs laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallstones and laparoscopic appendicectomy, offering patients shorter recovery times and reduced post-operative pain compared to open approaches.

He communicates in Swahili, English, and Luo, reflecting the linguistic diversity of his patient population.

Dr. Odhiambo completed his MBChB at the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences and his MMed (Master of Medicine) in Surgery at the University of Nairobi, based at Kenyatta National Hospital. He attained the Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (FCOS ECSA) through the COSECSA pathway — the regional surgical training and certification body for East, Central and Southern Africa. He also holds the Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of South Africa (FCS), demonstrating compliance with the higher surgical training standards of the College of Surgeons of South Africa. He has participated in surgical skills workshops in colorectal surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

Dr. Odhiambo's colorectal surgery practice encompasses laparoscopic and open right and left hemicolectomy, sigmoid colectomy and anterior resection for colorectal cancer, abdominoperineal resection, Hartmann's procedure for emergency colorectal surgery, and colostomy formation and reversal. He performs haemorrhoidectomy and other anorectal procedures.

In upper GI and hepatobiliary surgery, he performs laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy, exploration of the bile duct, and emergency management of peptic ulcer perforation. For hernias, he performs open and laparoscopic inguinal, umbilical, and incisional hernia repair. In endocrine surgery, he performs thyroidectomy for benign and malignant thyroid disease. In breast surgery, he performs mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy. He manages emergency presentations including bowel obstruction, acute abdomen, and trauma.

Kenyatta National Hospital is Kenya's national referral centre and receives patients from across East Africa including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Dr. Odhiambo consults in English and Swahili. Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport provides direct flights from Europe, the Middle East, and other African hubs. For Kenyan diaspora planning medical travel to Nairobi, or for East African patients seeking specialist surgical consultations, Dr. Odhiambo provides a high level of surgical expertise with the infrastructure of a major East African teaching hospital.

Dr. Odhiambo has been recognised by the Surgical Society of Kenya for his contributions to colorectal surgery training and laparoscopic surgical education at Kenyatta National Hospital. He received a COSECSA fellowship recognition award for his mentorship of surgical trainees in the East, Central and Southern Africa region. He was commended by the Association of Surgeons of East Africa for his advocacy for laparoscopic surgical capacity building in Kenya.