The Ministry of Health has unveiled new reforms to make Kenya’s healthcare internship programme more transparent, accountable, and efficient.
This comes after serious irregularities were discovered in the posting of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) interns.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, speaking during a meeting with universities that offer nursing programmes, announced a number of urgent changes.
He said the reforms are meant to restore order in the internship placement process and ensure it supports national health workforce priorities.
One of the main changes includes the introduction of a digital platform that will manage all internship applications. This new system will help verify data and reduce errors.
The Ministry will also set national guidelines that clearly define who is eligible for internships, when submissions should be made, and the roles of various institutions involved.
A new Internship Coordination Unit will be created within the Ministry to manage placements and ensure all institutions follow the rules.
Only students who were placed in universities by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will qualify for government-sponsored internships. Self-sponsored students will now be required to pay for their own internships.
Universities have been warned to stick to the student numbers approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE) to prevent overcrowding and confusion during internship placement.
Meanwhile, the Ministry is working with the National Treasury to get Sh408 million to support 339 more verified nursing interns, beyond the 2,000 already approved each year by the Public Service Commission.
“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 of the 2025/2026 internship list, which found that 42 students were wrongly included despite not completing their training.
The list, submitted by the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), also left out 339 eligible interns and included foreign students who do not qualify for government funding.
Ten universities were found to have submitted incorrect or unverified data.
These are 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 criticized for failing to check the student lists properly before sending them to the Ministry. As a result, the Ministry has cancelled the 42 irregular internship placements and informed the affected centres.
Duale said the institutions involved will be held responsible and assured Kenyans that the Ministry is committed to upholding professionalism and protecting patient safety in the country’s healthcare system.
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