Health Ministry announces reforms to ensure transparency in posting of interns

The Ministry of Health has announced comprehensive reforms to strengthen transparency, accountability, and efficiency in Kenya’s healthcare internship programme, following serious irregularities in the posting of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) interns.

Speaking during a consultative meeting with universities offering nursing programmes, Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale outlined a series of urgent interventions aimed at restoring integrity to the internship placement process and aligning it with national health workforce priorities.

Among the measures introduced are:

• Digitization of Internship Submissions: A centralized digital platform will be established to streamline submissions, enhance data verification, and eliminate errors.
• National Guidelines for Internship Management: The Director-General for Health will issue uniform guidelines covering eligibility criteria, submission timelines, and stakeholder roles under Section 17(j) of the Health Act.
• Establishment of an Internship Coordination Unit: A new unit within the Ministry will oversee internship placement, improve institutional coordination, and enforce compliance.
• Strict KUCCPS Compliance: Only students placed through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will be eligible for government-sponsored internships. Self-sponsored students will be required to fund their own internships.
• Adherence to CUE-Approved Quotas: Universities must strictly follow student admission limits approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE), to prevent over-enrolment and planning distortions.

“These reforms are about safeguarding the future of healthcare in Kenya. We are building a system that ensures fairness, accountability, and quality in health professional training,” said CS Duale.

The reforms follow an audit that revealed significant anomalies in the 2025/2026 internship posting, including the erroneous inclusion of 42 students who had not completed their training.

The list, submitted through the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), also excluded 339 eligible candidates and included foreign students not eligible for government-sponsored internships.

Ten universities were found to have submitted unverified or unauthorized student data. These include: Kenyatta University; Daystar University; Kenya Methodist University; Masai Mara University; University of Embu; Mount Kenya University; Umma University; Baraton University; Karatina University and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.

The Nursing Council of Kenya was also faulted for failing in its regulatory responsibility to verify submissions before forwarding them to the Ministry.

As a result, the Ministry has revoked the 42 irregular internship placements and formally notified the affected internship centres.

CS Duale affirmed that all institutions involved will be held accountable and that the Ministry remains committed to enforcing professionalism and safeguarding patient safety in Kenya’s health system.