History

Our History

The Kenya Association of Opticians (KAO) was founded in 2008. Prior to its foundation, the founding officials were in discussion on how to improve the optical profession in the 1990s when there were no guidelines or regulations that governed optical practice. The regulation gaps at the time had led to unqualified professionals opening optical businesses that posed a challenge and risk to public safety.

Efforts to improve the profession started between the 1960s and the 1970s when the first optical legislative proposal was presented in parliament but did not progress. The founders alongside other members of the optical fraternity worked to revive this initiative severally and in 2019 the process was restarted having commenced with the sourcing of a legal firm to drive this process. The journey has been long and KAO remains hopeful that the Optical Sector in Kenya will one day be regulated with an Act in place.

The Kenya Association of Opticians managed to get 20 founding members for its official registration in 2008 and in conjunction with Sight by Wings and other groups they worked to introduce optometry courses in the country as there were none prior to 2008. The aim was to train more personnel who could work in the optometry field. Subsequently the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) became the first optometry college around 2009.

Today the Optical sector prides itself on many milestones achieved and with the contribution of the Kenya Association of Opticians, we believe there is still much more to achieve in shaping a great future for the profession and the optical industry at large in Kenya. It is for this reason that the Kenya Association of Opticians exists to fulfill this mandate.