The Ministry of Health has launched a sweeping audit of the national nursing internship placement list after it emerged that at least 19 unqualified individuals, including students who had not yet graduated, were irregularly included among successful applicants.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale made the announcement during a Wednesday night interview on Citizen TV, revealing that the entire internship list is now under scrutiny. The irregularities were discovered earlier in the day during a meeting between the Ministry and the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), which flagged the presence of students who had not completed their training but had somehow received internship placement letters.
“This morning I had a meeting with the CEO, and we found out about a number of anomalies about 19 nurses who have not completed [training] but have been given posting letters,” said CS Duale. “We are withdrawing and auditing the whole list, and all the people responsible, including the training institutions, will face necessary action.”
The revelation has triggered concerns of fraud, favoritism, and potential manipulation in the posting process, casting a shadow over the credibility of the internship selection for the 2025/2026 cohort.
The Ministry had on June 27 proudly announced the deployment of 6,484 healthcare interns, with nurses receiving the lion’s share 2,098 placements. The internship program was set to begin on July 1, 2025, as part of government efforts to address staffing gaps in public hospitals. However, the audit threatens to delay deployments for all interns as the government now works to verify qualifications and root out irregular entries.
This is the latest controversy to hit the Ministry in recent weeks. Just days ago, the ministry was forced to clarify intern doctors’ salary concerns after public backlash over a posting letter showing a basic salary of Ksh46,120. The Ministry later explained that with allowances factored in, total pay would range between Ksh180,000 and Ksh208,000 per month, depending on the station.
As investigations continue, stakeholders in the health sector are calling for accountability and transparency to restore public confidence in the internship program. Duale has vowed that all individuals or institutions found complicit in the fraud will face disciplinary action.
