Africa’s first Head and Neck Centre is set to be established at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) following the signing of a landmark partnership agreement with the Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority (KHPOA) on June 3, 2026.
Funded by the Finnish Government, the facility will adopt a multidisciplinary approach to training and service delivery, with a primary focus on dentistry. It will also integrate complementary specialist services such as physiotherapy, ophthalmology, ENT, and other related disciplines that support comprehensive head and neck care.
Speaking during the meeting at JKUAT’s Juja campus, Vice Chancellor Prof. Victoria Ngumi commended the Faculty at the College of Health Sciences (COHES), led by Principal Dr. Reuben Thuo, for spearheading this milestone, which would enable the solving of head and neck problems holistically.
She noted that the development reflects JKUAT’s continued evolution from its traditional strengths in Agriculture and Engineering, with the University progressively introducing innovative, market-responsive programmes through collaboration with stakeholders, while retaining the strong scientific foundation.
Chief Executive Officer of KHPOA, Dr. Jackson Kioko, said that JKUAT was selected to host the facility owing to its strong reputation, with its medical graduates consistently ranked among the best based on performance in industry practice.
“The decision to have this centre at JKUAT followed a nationwide assessment conducted in 2024 on head and neck healthcare needs and specialist capacity, which examined existing gaps in service delivery and workforce availability. We found that there is a critical shortage, with only two dental schools in the country and an insufficient number of specialists being trained relative to population demand”, said Dr. Kioko.
The facility will be domiciled at the Karen campus, whose Principal, Prof. Helen Mberia, played a key coordinating role in earlier visits that informed the planning and selection of the project site.
Beyond this, Prof. Robert Kinyua, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), stated that JKUAT currently hosts the highest number of international students in Kenya, drawn from 32 countries. He emphasized that this diversity reflects the university’s global appeal and reinforces the importance of the facility, which will serve not only Kenyan students but also enhance training opportunities for the wider international student community.
The acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Production, and Extension), Prof. Hiram Ndiritu, welcomed Finland’s involvement in the initiative, noting that its competency-based education (CBE) model is highly advanced and has demonstrated strong outcomes.
He observed that students pursuing medical-related programmes, including dentistry, will benefit from this exposure through improved training standards and quality outputs. He also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening research outputs and innovation, noting that COHES is actively engaged in advancing this agenda.
The Dean of the School of Medicine, Prof. Everisto Opondo, noted that the Centre would benefit from the inclusion of plastic and reconstructive surgery, saying that many head and neck conditions require multidisciplinary surgical management that integrates these specialties.
He added that the establishment of the Centre presents an opportunity for the development of new departments across related disciplines such as dentistry and ophthalmology, among others, thereby strengthening interdisciplinary training and enhancing the quality of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme.
According to KHPOA CEO Dr. Kioko, the Head and Neck Centre is expected to be operational within the next year. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, featuring a bed capacity four times higher than existing facilities, lecture halls, and auditoriums.