Nairobi: Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to fairness and accountability in health workforce deployment, including internship placement.
According to Kenya News Agency, CS Duale expressed regret over the disruption caused to affected interns due to alleged irregularities regarding their placement in the past and reassured that once the 306 revoked interns meet all eligibility requirements, they will be prioritised in the next internship cycle.
The CS was speaking at Afya House, Nairobi, when flag-off 316 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) graduates, whose internship placements were reinstated following a Ministry-led audit into posting discrepancies. 'We are here this morning to correct a wrong and fulfil a promise,' said CS Duale, adding, 'These 316 graduates met all requirements but were mistakenly left out. Today, we restore their rightful place in our health system'.
CS Duale assured all interns of the Ministry's support, urging the 316 interns reporting on 4th August to serve with humility, integrity, and patriotism. 'You are the future of this nation's healthcare, we are sealing loopholes, enhancing verification, and safeguarding the integrity of our health internship programme,' CS Duale emphasised.'
The development follows the initial deployment of 6,484 interns on June 30, 2025. However, shortly after, the posting of complaints emerged concerning irregularities in the BScN intern list. A Ministry investigation uncovered that 42 individuals who had not completed their studies and 306 who had not graduated had been posted irregularly. At the same time, 339 eligible graduates had been excluded, including the 316 now reinstated.
Health CS announced that the Ministry had taken decisive action, including the suspension of the CEO of the Nursing Council of Kenya, Dr. Lister Onsongo, pending further investigations and the revocation of internship offers for all unqualified individuals or individuals that are yet to graduate.
Duale said the Ministry will immediately ensure the posting of the 316 graduates who were wrongfully excluded is executed seamlessly. The CS regretted that while the initial offers were made in good faith, a detailed audit revealed gaps in graduation and license verification which are being addressed.
'Let me be clear-this situation arose from administrative lapses that are being addressed internally. The students are not to blame,' the CS stated. Duale added that the Ministry plans to strengthen collaboration with the Nursing Council of Kenya and training institutions and to establish a centralised digital internship management system to enhance data accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in future postings.