By Ongaga Ongaga
Health Cabinet Secretary Duale Adan has announced sweeping reforms to Kenya’s nursing internship programme, following serious irregularities in the 2025/2026 placement cycle.
The announcement came during a consultative meeting with universities offering Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) programmes, where the CS outlined a series of interventions aimed at restoring transparency, fairness, and accountability in the posting of interns.
Among the key reforms is the establishment of a centralized digital platform for internship submissions.
This system is expected to streamline the process, enhance verification, and eliminate errors that have plagued previous cycles.
The Ministry will also issue national guidelines to standardize eligibility criteria, submission timelines, and clearly define the roles of all stakeholders involved.
To ensure proper oversight, an Internship Coordination Unit will be created within the Ministry of Health.
This unit will be responsible for managing placements and enforcing compliance with the new regulations.
Placement protocols
Additionally, the Ministry will enforce strict adherence to Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) protocols, meaning only students placed through KUCCPS will be eligible for government-sponsored internships.
Universities will also be required to comply with admission quotas approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE), a move aimed at curbing over-enrolment and maintaining training standards.
The reforms follow an internal audit that uncovered major anomalies in the current internship postings.
The audit revealed that 42 unqualified individuals had been erroneously placed, while 339 eligible interns were excluded. It also found that some universities had submitted foreign students who are not eligible for government sponsorship.
In response, the Ministry revoked the 42 irregular placements and formally notified the affected internship centres.
Ten universities were implicated in the submission of 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 to verify student data before submission.
To address the funding gap created by the exclusion of 339 verified interns, the Ministry is engaging the National Treasury to secure KSh 408 million.
This funding would allow the placement of these interns despite the Public Service Commission’s annual cap.