A viral revelation by a Kenyan nurse in the UK exposes the broken dreams of the local medical system and the lucrative allure of the diaspora.

It is the ultimate paradox of the Kenyan education system: You score a straight "A" in KCSE, the world tells you to become a doctor, but your bank account tells you to become a nurse—in London. This is the reality sparked by a Kenyan nurse based in the UK, whose recent disclosure of his KSh 735,000 monthly salary has set social media ablaze and ignited a fierce debate about career choices, cluster points, and the brain drain crisis.

The "Cluster Point" curse

The nurse, known online as "Kenyan Dreadman," shared a story that resonates with thousands of bright students. despite scoring an A, he was locked out of Medicine in Kenya due to the infamous "cluster points" system. Forced to settle for Nursing—a course often looked down upon by academic elitists—he eventually migrated to the UK. Today, he earns more in a month than a senior consultant doctor in a Kenyan public hospital earns in three.

His story reveals uncomfortable truths:

• The Wage Gap: A newly qualified nurse in the UK earns roughly £27,000 (approx. KSh 4.5 million) annually, rising significantly with overtime and locum shifts. In Kenya, jobless nurses tarmac for years.
• The Dignity of Labor: "I work long hours, but I am paid for every minute," he shared. "In Kenya, we are told nursing is a calling, but a calling does not pay rent."
• The Exodus: The Nursing Council of Kenya reports that over 2,000 nurses leave the country annually, creating a healthcare crisis at home while fuelling the NHS abroad.

A Systemic Failure

Critics argue that this celebration of foreign earnings masks a tragedy. Kenya invests millions in educating these students, only to donate them to the UK for free. "We are training world-class talent for export," lamented a health union official. "The government must improve conditions here, or we will be left with hospitals but no healers."

For the ambitious Form Four leaver sitting in a classroom in Kakamega or Kiambu, the message is confusing but clear. The prestige of being a "Daktari" in Kenya is losing the battle against the pound sterling. In the global labor market, the stethoscope is good, but the nursing pin is gold.

As the debate rages, one thing is indisputable: for this Kenyan man, the "failure" to study medicine was the most profitable mistake of his life.