Luke Kanyang’areng is a Kenyan nurse and patient advocate from West Pokot, and the first Kenyan to receive the Human Rights and Nursing Award (2025) for his outstanding commitment to advancing the rights and dignity of neglected patients. His journey into nursing was deeply personal: as a teenager, Luke nearly lost his life to visceral leishmaniasis, an experience that inspired him to dedicate his career to caring for vulnerable patients and improving access to treatment.
For over 20 years, Luke has provided frontline care for patients with neglected tropical diseases, first as nurse-in-charge at Kacheliba Sub-County Hospital — the very facility where he was once treated — and now at Kanyarkwat Health Centre. In addition to clinical care and training colleagues, he has become a leading advocate in communities where stigma and myths often delay diagnosis and treatment.
