A FORMER wheelbarrow pusher from Mkushi in Central Province has stunned both the streets and stethoscopes by graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Cardiovascular Technology from an Indian university.
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Cardiovascular technologists are health professionals that deal with the circulatory system.
They obtain a medical history, evaluate pulses and assess blood flow in arteries and veins by listening to the vascular flow sounds for abnormalities.
From pushing zamcabs in the mall infested corners of Lusaka to diagnosing clogged arteries in India’s sparkling labs, Kennedy Madombwe has swapped the chaos of the wheelbarrow lane for the silence of hospital wards where every heartbeat matters.
Born in a poor family hidden deep in rural Mkushi, 27-year-old Kennedy was not the boy teachers wrote home about. He was like Michelle Obama who was seen as the child whose dreams were too expensive to dream out loud.
Yet today, he has not only become the doctor he once whispered about, but also one of the few Zambians trained in cardiovascular technology.
And all this happened because of a grandmother’s weak heart.
Kennedy never thought that he would one day breathe the same air as the stars from Zeeworld.
“My grandma died because there weren’t enough heart specialists around. That pain turned into purpose. I didn’t want anyone else to go through that,” he said.
But before gowns and glory, there was grit. After completing his junior secondary school at Mkushi Secondary and later Chinika Secondary School, Kennedy couldn’t continue due to poor results and even poorer pockets.
He migrated to Lusaka, surviving by pushing wheelbarrows, offloading trucks and doing anything his hands could find. He pushed loads by day and pushed books by night.
By 2020, he rewrote his Grade 12 exams and scored 11 points. Armed with nothing but ambition, he applied for scholarships everywhere that would listen.
In 2022, his efforts paid off when Maharishi Markandeshwar University in India offered him a partial scholarship where tuition fees, meals and accommodation were covered and he was to find money for the air ticket.
That is when Kennedy walked into Kalemba offices with dusty shoes, printed documents in hand and hope clinging onto him like sweat on a hot October day and asked for help.
Kalemba then told his story and the rest was divine alignment.
Among those moved by the story was Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa, who rallied support to secure Kennedy’s air ticket and from there, his dream finally boarded a plane.
“I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me. I have seen the power of people coming together. Kalemba and Miles Sampa helped change a life and for that I’m grateful. So many other people actually came through and I’m so grateful to everyone, said Kennedy.
On May 3, 2025, he graduated in India, no longer a wheelbarrow pusher but a heart technician. He is now qualified to diagnose heart problems and assist in treatment plans using advanced technology.
His dream, however, doesn’t stop at graduation.
He shared that he wants to become self-reliant and use entrepreneurship to create a chain of medical services focused on heart diseases especially in rural Zambia.
“I want to come back home, set up a heart clinic that runs as a business and a service. We don’t have enough cardiologists in Zambia. People are dying from things we can prevent. I want to change that,” Kennedy told Kalemba in an interview.
He added that the journey has taught him more than textbooks ever could.
“If you are thinking of giving up, don’t. God is there. He sees. Keep going,” remarked the new doctor.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, May 15, 2025
