Ahmed Kalebi

About Ahmed Kalebi

Innovation involves practically implementing novel ideas, products, or solutions that deliver significant value. As a newly qualified pathologist in 2005, I never imagined I would be innovating in laboratory medicine. But my career took an unexpected turn when I was posted as the first government pathologist to Garissa Provincial General Hospital in remote northeastern Kenya, near the Somali border, and asked to build up its laboratory services.

At Garissa, I encountered a profound challenge. Basic tests such as full blood counts and liver or kidney function tests were unavailable. Equipment was broken, reagents depleted, staff demoralized, and clinicians distrusted the lab. Reviving it required more than technical knowledge – it required leadership, advocacy, and community engagement. By working with the hospital’s management team, lobbying for resources, and rebuilding clinicians’ trust, I transformed the lab within three months into a functioning center of excellence. This upgrade enabled the hospital to qualify as an internship training site.

I also identified a deeper systemic gap: the absence of referral pathways for specialized tests like histopathology, bone marrow evaluations, and immunoassays, affecting both public and private sectors due to Kenya’s fragmented laboratory network.

From 2006 to 2009, I trained further in South Africa, with electives in Toronto and Oxford, gaining exposure to advanced pathology systems. Returning to Kenya in 2009, I partnered with Lancet Laboratories South Africa to establish East Africa’s largest private referral network. Together we introduced regional firsts – including diagnostic immunohistochemistry, HPV PCR, oncogenetic testing (EGFR and KRAS), and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I led the first private lab in the region to offer PCR testing, which quickly became the busiest center.

Alongside technical innovation, I became a “pathology evangelist,” raising the profile of laboratory medicine through CME sessions, conferences, media outreach, and social media, especially during the pandemic.

After a three-year family sabbatical, I returned in 2024 to found Dr. Kalebi Labs (DKL), a greenfield laboratory launched in October 2024. DKL integrates technologies new to the region: total lab automation (TLA), fully digital pathology workflows, NGS-based oncogenetic testing, in-house flow cytometry, and AI-powered laboratory IT systems. These innovations cut turnaround times for specialized tests from weeks to hours while creating hundreds of jobs.

The spark ignited in Garissa nearly 20 years ago continues to drive my mission: to advance laboratory medicine in Africa so that diagnostics are accessible, affordable, and of the highest quality – rivaling global standards.