Joel Lesirma is a trained clinical officer who runs the medical affairs of Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge that’s strategically perched at a feeding watering hole in the generous Tsavo West National Park.
A second last born in a family of six- five boys and one girl, Lesirma hails from Samburu County in north-western part of Kenya. He grew up around people with diverse cultures involved in cattle keeping and small-scale farming.
What does your job entail?
It is about preventive and curative medicine. I treat staff and guests and anybody else who gets sick in the lodge. I am also in charge of staff wellness. I take them through various training on things such as personal, food hygiene and lifestyle. I also do inspections within the lodge to make sure they are safe for our guests and everyone.
What is special about the Serena hotels?
It is a whole lot of things but one particular one is the presence of systems that facilitate and support my work. I run a clinic here. It is a requirement that it is stocked with essential drugs and equipment. I have been able to sufficiently do the work because the clinic is always stocked. I believe this is as a result of building a system that enables everyone to do what they are supposed to do.
What does your average day look like?
It depends on many factors. Most times when I arrive at my duty station, I interact with my staff, get updates on a number of things before I have my breakfast.
I am usually in the clinic but I occasionally take walks through different departments to ascertain that everything is okay, the environment is safe and clean.
I also use some time to read newspapers or check through social media, watch the news. There are days of course when I am extremely busy and won’t do many of the things above. At around 4pm I jog around then come back to the clinic. My day ends around 7pm.
How do you find the hospitality sector?
It is a whole mix of things, but what I enjoy most is meeting and interacting with new people that bring and share different experiences.
Have you had that one moment when you got really scared while on duty?
There’s a guest who had a medical emergency in the middle of the night and it was difficult to get an ambulance to come here and that was scary.
What would you say calms you in the middle of an emergency?
I was trained to handle different things and emergencies are part of what I handle every day.
Apart from growing to live with such occurrences, I am calm if I know that I have enough and sufficient drugs and equipment in the clinic to handle an emergency.
When you think about your job, what would you say bring you alive while doing it?
I love it when I know hotel staff and visitors are healthy. It is cumbersome to deal with sickness at work. Beyond that it gets trickier when you have to deal with a sick visitor. You basically start from zero because you don’t have that person’s medical history. So, it is always a good feeling to see that people are healthy and fine.
You’re in an environment where there’s a lot of food. Does it pose any risk in any way?
We all enjoy food, but food has its dangers. There are diseases that are directly and indirectly related to food and lifestyle. But because our staff are professionals, they know how to deal with food so as not to cause any issues. In the event that our guests or staff get issues with food, we have stocked our clinic to handle, failure of which we seek further medical attention.
What is your favourite dish?
Chapati and beans. While I was growing up, chapatti was like a luxury. So, when I grew up and I could afford it, I bought it all the time. Somehow it became my favourite.
What places have you been to, and you would gladly return to?
There’s a town called Tabeta at the border of Kenya and Tanzania. That is where I first met and courted my wife and I have always had very beautiful memories in my head.
Definitely, I would return to that place any day. The other place I would always return to is my birth town. It is the kind of environment where you can relax. Nakuru is also an interesting place. I had my education there.
If you were to do it all over again, what would be your profession?
I would probably be an event’s organiser. I would be in the arts.
Why?
You know I am also an unofficial events organiser here. During festivities we get a lot of local guests coming here. I always take the lead in organising for them. I also organise when we have conferences. So, as you see, I can be a good event organiser. If I was to redo my life that’s the direction I would take.
What are your favourite sports?
Rugby and my favourite team is the New Zealand All Blacks. At club level Oakland Blues is my best. However, I also love football and my favorite team is Arsenal. In basketball I am an LA Lakers fan. I also love cricket and I enjoy watching the Indian Premier League.
If you were to invite someone for coffee, who would it be?
My father, because I grew up with my mother. I have never interacted that much with my father. I would love to have coffee with him because I have a lot of questions to ask him.
What questions would you ask him?
A lot. I would love to know why we left us. There are a whole lot of whys because I would want to understand better.
Who do you live with?
I live with my children. Like I told you I didn’t grow up with my father so, to me marriage and fatherhood was never going to be a priority. I met this incredible woman who just by looking at her I was convinced that marriage can work so I married her and I didn’t know much joy of being a father until I became one to two girls.
What is the last medical book you read?
It’s been long but it’s called a tour around England written by an American.
What’s the biggest lesson your mother ever gave you?
What belongs to your brother is his, look for what is yours.
What makes you proud of being Kenyan?
We are unique in our own way. Much as we may have different political and economic shortcomings, we are still a great country.
What is your education background?
I come from Samburi County in northern Kenya. I attended primary school education at St Paul’s Primary School and completed at the same school in 1991. After there, I went to Nairobi for my high school until 1995, when I joined Nairobi Medical College in Nakuru. I was there for four year including internship, before getting employed in a manufacturing company, which I left later to join hotels. I am married with two children of 11 and seven years. My wife is a nurse working in Mombasa and that’s where my residence is.
