Kenya’s first female dentist Dr Muthoni Gitata has died leaving behind a rich legacy.
Dr Muthoni Gitata who passed away last Tuesday and will be buried this week was not only Kenya’s first African female dentist, but also the first African female oral surgeon.
Born Muthoni Githungo in Thogoto on Feb 28, 1946, the young Muthoni yearned to become a doctor after observing a medic treating people in the village.
The only hurdle to her dream was her poor background. However driven by her desire and clinging onto hope, she strived in her education to achieve her ambition.
She first attended Thogoto School to pursue her primary school education. Unfortunately her education was almost impeded when her mother was arrested during the State of Emergency for entering Nairobi to look for work without a Kipande.
Fortunately a well wisher Jemima Gecaga who was a leading advocate for women’s rights and gender equality at that time stepped in and supported her to pursue her education.
She briefly studied at Kikuyu Girls before proceeding to Andover Academy in Massachusetts US at the age of 14 in 1960 on a scholarship. She was the only Black girl for the three years she was at the school.
Dr. John Brown, an American orthodontist whose family she lived with in America inspired her to pursue dentistry. In 1964 she joined Annhurst College in Connecticut where she obtained her undergraduate degree in Biology.
She would later proceed to Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a masters degree in virology then to Meharry Medical College in Nashville Tennessee where she studied dental surgery graduating in 1973 courtesy of a World Health Organization scholarship.
After being away from home for over 10 years, she returned to Kenya and got her first job at Kenyatta National Hospital. Three years later she started a thriving private dental practice.
Apart from her career as a dentist, she was a leading campaigner for oral health, something she promoted passionately until her death.
Obituary written by Levin Opiyo
