A nurse in Turkana leading the fight against cancer has been recognised as the top nurse in the country by her peers.
Ms Sulekha Clotilde outperformed hundreds of colleagues across the 47 counties with her establishment of a cancer treatment centre, earning her the title of Best Overall Nurse in an award by the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK)
The nurses were evaluated based on eight criteria developed by NNAK, including education, professionalism, clinical experience, grooming, application essay, teamwork, achievements, and regulatory compliance.
Nine judges awarded marks for each contestant. Ms Clotilde, who works at Turkana County Referral Hospital, emerged as the top performer with 122 points out of a possible 140, followed by Atanasio Nyaga from Kiambu County, who scored 118 points. Nyandarua’s Michael Chege came in third with 114 points followed by Samson Kimani from Murang’a (110) and closing the top five was Goretty Adhiambo from Homa Bay County (105).
Other nurses with more than 100 marks included Annita Kagwima from Taita Taveta (104), Kitui’s Sammy Christine (102) and Anne Omusotsi from Kakamega with 101 points.
Ms Cotilde emerged best in all the tools except for the application essay criterion where she was beaten by Mr Nyaga from Kiambu.
She says her motivation comes from the rising cancer burden in Turkana, where patients often have to travel over 300 kilometres for palliative or oncology care services. With 10 years of experience as a general nurse and six years as an oncology and palliative care specialist, she is the first oncology and palliative care nurse in Turkana County.
“I have mentored, inspired, and motivated other nurses. We now have eight oncology nurses, two palliative care nurses, and two clinical officer oncologists in Turkana County,” says Ms Clotilde.
In 2020, she founded the Turkana Cancer Support Group to advocate for cancer patients, raise awareness, and provide home-based care. The group includes individuals who have been affected by cancer and friends who assist in the cause.
“I do home visits with my friends to reach out to my cancer patients at their homes. We contribute some money to buy items for those we visit. I also make impromptu visits to check on how my patients are doing,” she said.
Clotilde has received support from various organisations such as the Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association, which provides pain medication to cancer patients, and Hospice Care Kenya, which has granted funds to train 40 health workers and 60 community health promoters on palliative care awareness.
Additionally, the Kenya Network of Cancer Organisations (Kenco) has provided materials for cancer education, raising awareness in the community.n materials for cancer education. “This is the third award that I am receiving. The first one was on December 3, 2021 as the Beyond Zero nurse of the year in Turkana County awarded by former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and another one on September 19, 2024, as the Oncology Nurse of the Year, Kenya,” she said.
NNAK President Collins Ajwang’ said the Nurse and Midwife of the Year Award (NMOYA) award is an initiative to identify, recognise, and award Kenya’s best nurses and midwives under different categories.
