Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has explained why some student nurses were recalled shortly after being posted for internships in various hospitals across the country.
Speaking on Friday, August 1, Duale cited irregularities during the posting process involving the Ministry of Health, the Nursing Council, and universities, prompting the recall.
“Bachelor of Science student nurses posted one month ago were recalled because of posting irregularity and systemic corruption,” said Duale.
He noted that some of the students posted had not yet graduated, adding that the Ministry will only post graduates who provide their certificates for confirmation before deployment.
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“Students posted for internship should be graduands, not those with completion letters. Completion is different from graduation. If you have a completion letter, we will not post you until you have a certificate.”
On July 21, the Ministry of Health revoked internship placements for 42 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students.
In a statement, the Ministry said the revocation followed a major breach of national training and regulatory procedures.
The affected students, from ten public and private universities, were allegedly unlawfully submitted for internship placements before completing their academic programmes, violating the Nursing Council Act and Public Service Commission (PSC) guidelines.
“The Ministry has revoked all internship letters issued to the affected 42 students with immediate effect,” said Duale. “These individuals have been instructed to vacate their duty stations as investigations commence,” read the statement.
The Ministry also suspended Dr Lister Onsongo, CEO of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), pending the outcome of a comprehensive internal audit of all 2,098 nursing interns in the 2025/2026 cohort.
Ann Mukuna, Director of Standards and Compliance, has been appointed to oversee the Council’s operations in the interim.
According to Duale, 348 eligible and graduated student nurses have now been posted.
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Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has explained why some student nurses were recalled shortly after being posted for internships in various hospitals across the country.
Speaking on Friday, August 1, Duale cited irregularities during the posting process involving the Ministry of Health, the Nursing Council, and universities, prompting the recall.
“Bachelor of Science student nurses posted one month ago were recalled because of posting irregularity and systemic corruption,” said Duale.
He noted that some of the students posted had not yet graduated, adding that the Ministry will only post graduates who provide their certificates for confirmation before deployment.
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channel
on WhatsApp
“Students posted for internship should be graduands, not those with completion letters. Completion is different from graduation. If you have a completion letter, we will not post you until you have a certificate.”
On July 21, the Ministry of Health revoked internship placements for 42 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students.
In a statement, the Ministry said the revocation followed a major breach of national training and regulatory procedures.
The affected students, from ten public and private universities, were allegedly unlawfully submitted for internship placements before completing their academic programmes, violating the Nursing Council Act and Public Service Commission (PSC) guidelines.
“The Ministry has revoked all internship letters issued to the affected 42 students with immediate effect,” said Duale. “These individuals have been instructed to vacate their duty stations as investigations commence,” read the statement.
The Ministry also suspended Dr Lister Onsongo, CEO of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), pending the outcome of a comprehensive internal audit of all 2,098 nursing interns in the 2025/2026 cohort.
Ann Mukuna, Director of Standards and Compliance, has been appointed to oversee the Council’s operations in the interim.
According to Duale, 348 eligible and graduated student nurses have now been posted.
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By Esther Nyambura