A 25-year-old Kenyan has stirred widespread debate on social media after announcing that he has “retired” from the nursing profession barely two years after graduating from the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
Omito Andrew shared his emotional journey in a candid TikTok video that has since gone viral, explaining why he chose to abandon a career he spent four years preparing for. His story has resonated with many healthcare workers while sparking mixed reactions from Kenyans online.
According to Andrew, he graduated from KMTC in 2023 full of hope and determination, believing that nursing would offer him a stable career and an opportunity to serve society. Like many young graduates, he looked forward to building a future in healthcare. However, the reality he encountered after entering the job market was far different from what he had envisioned.
“I am a 25-year-old retired nurse,” Andrew declared in the now-viral video. “I graduated from KMTC in 2023 and worked in nursing for two years. The profession, especially in the private sector, is in a very difficult state.”
He claimed that Kenya produces thousands of nursing graduates every year from KMTC, universities, and private colleges, creating fierce competition for a limited number of employment opportunities. According to him, the oversupply of qualified nurses has left many struggling to find decent jobs, forcing some to accept poor working conditions simply to gain experience.
One incident, he said, completely changed his outlook on the profession. During a job interview, he was asked to state his expected monthly salary. Confident in his qualifications and experience working in maternity and emergency departments, Andrew requested a salary of KSh 40,000.
To his shock, he alleged that the interviewer laughed at the amount.
Andrew claimed he was informed that there were many other applicants who were willing to work for far less, with some reportedly ready to accept salaries as low as KSh 10,000 per month. The experience left him feeling that the skills, sacrifices, and responsibilities of nurses were being grossly undervalued.
He further alleged that many healthcare facilities depend heavily on volunteer nurses who work for months—or even years—without securing permanent employment. In other cases, he claimed, nurses endure long delays before receiving their salaries, making it difficult for them to meet even basic living expenses.
These experiences, he said, convinced him that the profession was no longer sustainable for him despite his passion for healthcare.
Andrew revealed that he left nursing about a year ago and has never looked back. According to him, stepping away from the profession has significantly improved his quality of life, and he has no regrets about making the difficult decision.
As his video continues to attract thousands of views and comments, many Kenyans have shared similar experiences, while others have encouraged young healthcare professionals not to lose hope.
Reflecting on his journey, Andrew urged students who are considering nursing as a career to research the profession thoroughly before enrolling, advising them to understand both the opportunities and the challenges they may face after graduation.
His story has once again reignited conversations about the state of Kenya’s healthcare sector, the welfare of nurses, youth unemployment, and whether more should be done to improve working conditions and remuneration for frontline medical professionals.If you’d like, I can also rewrite it in a more emotional, news-style, or viral social media format.
