Kenyan pathologist Dr Ahmed Kalebi has been named among the world’s 50 most innovative leaders in laboratory medicine by The Pathologist magazine, a recognition that celebrates his role in transforming diagnostics and expanding access to modern lab services across East Africa.
Dr Kalebi, who is the Principal Pathologist and Executive Chairman of Dr Kalebi Labs (DKL) Ltd, said the award crowns nearly two decades of groundbreaking work in the field.
“Every milestone in my career has been part of a bigger journey: from my transformative stint as the first provincial pathologist in Garissa in 2005, to building East Africa’s largest private referral lab network at Lancet Group of Labs from 2009, and now pioneering a New Era of Lab Services at DKL with cutting-edge innovations, total lab automation and AI-powered diagnostics,” he said.
He recalled his first posting at Garissa Provincial General Hospital near the Somali border, where he found a laboratory in crisis.
“Basic tests such as full blood counts and liver or kidney function tests were unavailable. Equipment was broken, reagents depleted, staff demoralised, and clinicians distrusted the lab. Reviving it required more than technical knowledge; it required leadership, advocacy and community engagement,” he explained.
Through lobbying for resources, working with hospital leadership and rebuilding trust with clinicians, he managed to turn the lab around in three months, enabling it to qualify as an internship training centre.
Looking back, Dr Kalebi noted that systemic weaknesses in Kenya’s health system limited access to advanced testing.
“The absence of referral pathways for specialised tests like histopathology, bone marrow evaluations and immunoassays affected both public and private sectors due to Kenya’s fragmented laboratory network,” he said.
To bridge those gaps, he trained further in South Africa with electives in Toronto and Oxford between 2006 and 2009, gaining skills in advanced pathology systems. On returning to Kenya, he partnered with Lancet Laboratories South Africa to establish the region’s largest 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 centre,” he said.
After a three-year sabbatical, he launched Dr Kalebi Labs in October 2024.
The facility is built around next-generation technologies, including total lab automation, fully digital workflows, NGS-based oncogenetic testing, in-house flow cytometry and AI-powered IT systems.
He said these innovations have drastically reduced turnaround times for specialised tests, cutting waiting periods from weeks to hours while creating hundreds of jobs.
“Unlike many awards that come with fees or paid invitations, The Power List by The Pathologist magazine is true peer recognition, confirmed by an expert panel of judges and that makes it all the more special. I’m deeply grateful for this recognition and privileged to contribute as a Leading Voice, working towards advancing pathology and laboratory medicine for better healthcare access, especially our underserved populations,” he said.
This is not the first time Dr Kalebi has appeared in the magazine’s Power List, having previously featured in 2019, 2020, 2021 and again in 2024 before this year’s recognition.