Dr. Samuel Odhiambo Otieno

Dr. Samuel Odhiambo Otieno is one of Kenya's senior neurologists, practising at MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi — a leading private hospital known for its specialist medical services, modern diagnostic infrastructure, and international patient care. With 14 years of experience in clinical neurology, Dr. Otieno manages the full spectrum of neurological disorders, from the epilepsy and stroke presentations that constitute the largest share of neurological burden in East Africa, to complex neurodegenerative conditions, demyelinating diseases, and infections affecting the central nervous system.

A graduate of the University of Nairobi, Dr. Otieno completed his Fellowship in Neurology in South Africa — a centre of neurological excellence in Africa — where he received advanced training in clinical neurophysiology, neuroimaging interpretation, and the management of complex movement disorders, epilepsy syndromes, and acute neurological emergencies. He returned to Kenya as one of a small but growing cohort of specialist neurologists serving a country of over 50 million people, where the neurologist-to-population ratio remains critically constrained.

Dr. Otieno is a founding contributor to the Kenya Neurological Association and an active member of the African Academy of Neurology (AFAN) — the continental body driving neurological research and clinical capacity building across sub-Saharan Africa. He speaks English, Swahili, and Luo, enabling him to communicate directly with patients from western Kenya and the broader Luo-speaking community, many of whom travel to Nairobi specifically to see a neurologist who speaks their language.

Dr. Otieno completed his MBChB degree at the University of Nairobi, followed by a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine — the required pathway for neurology subspecialisation in the East African system. His MMed training at Kenyatta National Hospital provided him with comprehensive internal medicine experience, including management of neurological presentations in the general medical wards and neurology consultation rotations. He then secured a competitive Fellowship position in Neurology in South Africa, where his training encompassed advanced EEG interpretation, electromyography and nerve conduction studies, lumbar puncture and CSF analysis, neuroimaging interpretation including CT and MRI, and subspecialty exposure to epileptology, movement disorders, and neuro-infectious disease.

Dr. Otieno's clinical practice at MP Shah Hospital covers the complete range of neurological conditions seen in the Nairobi region. His epilepsy service is one of the most active in Kenya, managing patients with new-onset seizures through comprehensive EEG evaluation, seizure classification, and evidence-based antiepileptic drug selection. He manages refractory epilepsy and coordinates referral for surgical epilepsy evaluation for appropriate candidates. His stroke service at MP Shah involves acute stroke assessment, thrombolysis for eligible ischaemic stroke patients within the treatment window, and comprehensive post-stroke rehabilitation planning including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and secondary prevention pharmacotherapy.

In movement disorders, Dr. Otieno diagnoses and manages Parkinson's disease using clinical assessment and response to levodopa, tailoring medication regimens to individual patient needs and disease progression. He also manages essential tremor, dystonia, and Huntington's disease. For multiple sclerosis, he conducts diagnostic evaluation using MRI, visual evoked potentials, and CSF analysis, and prescribes disease-modifying therapies available in Kenya. His neurophysiology practice includes formal nerve conduction studies and electromyography for peripheral neuropathy assessment — particularly useful for diabetic neuropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and carpal tunnel syndrome. He performs lumbar punctures for CSF analysis in cases of suspected meningitis, encephalitis, subarachnoid haemorrhage, and inflammatory neurological disease.

Dr. Otieno has published research through the African Academy of Neurology and in the African Journal of Neurological Sciences, with work examining epilepsy treatment gaps in Kenya, stroke risk factors in the East African urban population, and the neurology of HIV — particularly HIV-associated dementia and peripheral neuropathy, which remain prevalent in Kenya's HIV-positive population. He has presented at the African Academy of Neurology congress and contributed to the World Health Organization's global epilepsy treatment gap data. His clinical data from MP Shah Hospital's neurology service has contributed to national prevalence estimates for neurological disease in Kenya.

MP Shah Hospital is well established as a destination for regional medical tourists and international patients in Nairobi. Dr. Otieno sees patients from across East Africa — including Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia — who travel to Nairobi for neurological evaluation not available in their home country. He is fluent in English and Swahili, enabling direct communication with patients from across the region, and also speaks Luo for patients from western Kenya and parts of Uganda and Tanzania.

For diaspora patients and international visitors, Dr. Otieno offers pre-consultation video appointments to review neurological history, prior investigations, and medications before a patient arrives in Nairobi. He can evaluate CT and MRI brain and spine images, EEG traces, and nerve conduction study reports sent digitally. He prepares comprehensive discharge summaries with full treatment recommendations for patients returning to their home countries, enabling a smooth handover to local physicians. Contact MP Shah Hospital's neurology outpatient appointment line to arrange a consultation.

Dr. Otieno is a member of the African Academy of Neurology (AFAN) — one of the most prestigious neurology bodies on the African continent — and has been recognised for his contributions to the Academy's clinical training workshops and consensus guideline development for epilepsy management in Africa. He was acknowledged by the Kenya Neurological Association for his role in helping to establish the Association's activities and for his mentorship of neurology trainees at the University of Nairobi. MP Shah Hospital has recognised him for consistently strong patient satisfaction outcomes and for building one of Nairobi's most respected private neurology practices.