As Kenya recorded increased cases of Covid-19, Dr Korir emerged as one of the nation’s most-trusted interpreters of complex science to ordinary Kenyans
By Yvonne Kawira
The mist-covered tea farms of Kericho County in Kenya where she grew up became the foundation for Dr Mercy Korir’s dual career in medicine and media.
“I grew up poor, but happy, because everyone around me was poor,” she reflects with characteristic candour. Her early life taught her to notice subtle inequalities like the privileged neighbours in stone houses.
It was her mother who planted the seeds of ambition. “She told us: ‘If you grow up taking tea without milk, make sure your children never do.'”
This Kalenjin community proverb where milk symbolizes prosperity became her compass. The discovery of Ben Carson’s Gifted Hands crystallized her dream: “I read words like ‘CAT scan’ for the first time and thought, ‘This is what I want to do.'”
However, medical school at the University of Nairobi came at a cost. “My scholarship disappeared days before enrolment. My mother borrowed from everyone,” she shares.
These struggles forged her resilience because “When you fight that hard for something, you don’t waste the opportunity.”
A 2011 doctors’ strike in Kenya became Dr Korir’s turning point. As a newly graduated intern, she watched media reduce complex healthcare failures to simplistic headlines about salaries.
“Nobody explained we (doctors) were striking for functional hospitals where patients wouldn’t die from lack of gloves,” she says, still frustrated.
This epiphany sent her back to school. “I needed to learn how to tell these stories myself.” While working night shifts as a medical officer, she pursued a Master’s in Communication Studies at the University of Nairobi.
Her gamble paid off in 2015 when Standard Media Group’s then Managing Editor, Joe Ageyo, took a chance intoning, “let’s treat this as an adventure.'”
Dr Korir started off as an intern despite being a licensed doctor to “understand what makes a story matter to people.” Her first breakthrough was reframing a maternal health report by following a midwife through a 24-hour shift at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, blending medical insight with human storytelling.
The Covid-19 pandemic became Dr Korir’s defining moment. As Kenya recorded increased cases of the infectious disease, she emerged as one of the country’s most-trusted interpreters of complex science to ordinary people.
First, she pressured government officials to break down cases by demographics to debunk myths surrounding Covid-19. Next she demonstrated how rural folk could utilise traditional kikoi fabric in place of face masks, and thirdly, she hosted call-in shows with religious leaders and community elders to address cultural concerns in local dialects.
“That’s when I realized media could be as powerful as medicine,” she says. Her reporting directly influenced Kenya’s health communication strategy, earning her the Presidential Order of Service Award – Uzalendo Award (2020) for her versatile and impactful health reporting.
Last year, Dr Korir co-founded the Willow Health Media Initiative, named after the medicinal Willow tree, the platform delivers multimedia digital health and science content to African audiences.
“At Willow, we don’t just report health news, we design it for impact,” she explains. Willow Health Media’s mobile-first strategy reaches on average three million viewers monthly through different channels including WhatsApp bulletins, YouTube videos and TikTok explainers.
As CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Dr Korir’s work redefines what it means to be a doctor. “In a clinic, I heal one patient at a time. On air, I heal communities,” she says. “My stethoscope and microphone serve the same purpose—just through different frequencies.”
She remains steadfast about maintaining her medical identity: “If I can’t use the title I earned through blood, sweat and 36-hour shifts, I won’t do this work.”
This conviction extends to mentoring younger generations for the future. Upcoming projects include a Swahili documentary on mental health stigma, and expanding Willow Health Media to bigger audiences across Africa.
“That little girl grazing cattle in Jericho would laugh if she saw me now,” she reflects. “But she’d understand I’m still fighting for tea with milk, just on a bigger scale.”
