Introduction
Department of Pathology is one of the Departments in the School of Health Sciences. It is a major component in medicine and as such it plays a pivotal role in the training of medical practitioners. It is the basis of diagnoses of all diseases. The Department is made up of 7 major disciplines namely: Immunology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Haematology & Blood Transfusion, Chemical Pathology, Histopathology and Forensic Pathology.

MISSION :
The Mission o the Department of Pathology is to produce (at the end the training) medical practitioners who would be conversant and who would use the skills and knowledge in Pathology to make correct diagnoses in the diseases they will be treating.

VISION:
It is envisaged that the Department of Pathology will be a centre of excellence in pathology in the region. This would attract students within and outside the region.

OBJECTIVES:
* To train quality Medical Practitioners in all areas of Human Pathology.
* To offer consultancy as part of community services in the respective areas to the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital and its environs.

Internal Links
Whereas the Department is responsible for Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) students during their study in Pathology, the Department also services Departments of Nursing; Pharmacy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Public Health; Food, Nutrition & Dietetics.

External Links
The Department has initiated a networking system with other Universities that offer disciplines in Pathology. There are currently strong links with Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi.

Research Activities

The members of staff in the Department are collaborators in Research activities in the National Research Institutes e.g., Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) International Centre for Insect Physiology & Ecology (ICIPE). There are also strong inputs from the members of staff to Ministry of Health.

Academic Staff and Specialisation
The members of staff are specialised in the following disciplines:

The Department is newly established and has 19 self-sponsored students.

Duration and Mode of Study
The Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme takes 5 years. The core business of Department of Pathology is to service the students undertaking MBChB. After the students have successfully passed Pre- Clinical Sciences (Medical Anatomy, Medical Physiology and Medical Biochemistry) they can then and can only then be registered for Pathology. Upon successfully completion of studies in the Department of Pathology the students then move on to bedside (ward) studies.

Postgraduate Students

Masters Degree Programme
The Department is drawing a curriculum for Masters degree programme. It is envisaged that students will be offered Masters degree in the specific areas in Pathology. The Department has on board 3 PhD students.

Assessment

The examination rules and regulations are set by the School of Health Sciences. Overall, the student will have been deemed to have successfully completed courses in Pathology by attaining an aggregate of 50% in all the disciplines. The student can then proceed to the Clinicals (Bed-side studies).