Dr. Dan Gikonyo: The Courageous Doctor Who Treated Kenya’s Leaders Brutalised by Moi

Dr. Dan Gikonyo, renowned Kenyan physician, risked his safety to treat some of the country’s most prominent government critics during Daniel arap Moi’s regime.

He provided medical care to Rev. Timothy Njoya after the clergyman was brutally beaten during protests in 1999. He also treated environmentalist Prof. Wangari Maathai following attacks by state agents in 1992, 1996, and 1999, when she sustained head injuries while defending Karura Forest.

Dr. Gikonyo’s courage extended to other political figures: Koigi Wamwere, who fell ill while in detention in 1996; Kenneth Matiba, whose cerebral hemorrhaging he was among the first to detect in 1991; and Charles Rubia, who suffered respiratory issues while imprisoned.

In his book Doctor at Heart, Dr. Gikonyo reflects on the fear doctors faced during that era. “There was prevailing fear among doctors regarding attending to people perceived as opposing Moi’s government. Colleagues were apprehensive, worried that any medical mishap could be interpreted as state interference,” he writes.

At the book launch, Dr. Gikonyo emphasized his personal choice to side with truth and justice. “I’ve always chosen to stand with honest people and what is right. I attended to many heroes of the Second Liberation, even when friends warned me I might not come back,” he said.

Dr. Gikonyo’s story is a testament to bravery, ethics, and the difficult choices medical professionals sometimes face in politically charged environments.