Nursing graduates set to begin their internship placements will have to wait longer after the Ministry of Health announced a full withdrawal and audit of the recently released posting list.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV Wednesday night, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale disclosed that a preliminary review of the list revealed major irregularities, including at least 19 names of individuals who had not completed their training but had still received posting letters.
“I met with the CEO of the Nursing Council of Kenya this morning and we flagged multiple anomalies. We discovered 19 nurses who haven’t completed their studies but were listed for posting,” said CS Duale.
“We’re now auditing the entire nursing internship list and taking action against those responsible, including the institutions involved.”
The move comes just days after the Ministry celebrated the posting of over 6,000 healthcare interns across various cadres in what was billed as a step toward addressing the country’s acute health worker shortage.
In its initial statement on June 27, the Ministry had announced the placement of 6,484 interns under the 2025/2026 internship cohort. Nurses holding bachelor’s degrees formed the largest group, with 2,098 slots allocated to them an allocation now under scrutiny.
This latest twist adds to the mounting pressure on the Ministry, which is already facing criticism over the remuneration of medical interns.
Shortly after the postings were made public, uproar emerged over claims that the interns were to earn just Ksh 46,120 per month.
The Ministry later clarified that the amount represented only the basic salary. With allowances factored in under Job Group L, interns would actually earn between Ksh 180,000 and Ksh 208,000 depending on their posting location.
While the audit opens, thousands of nursing graduates across the country remain in limbo, unsure when or if they will begin their long-awaited internship programmes.