Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, has declared an all-out war on corruption in the Ministry of Health, particularly targeting irregularities in the allocation of nursing internship slots. Speaking during the official handover of posting letters to intern nurses previously omitted from the initial list of 2,098 interns, Duale promised decisive action against those responsible for the illegal exclusions.
“Corruption in our institution is what has led to the illegal and wrongful omission of rightful interns,” he said. “I am going to decisively and intentionally root out corruption, starting from the Ministry of Health to the Nursing Council of Kenya.”
Duale revealed that sweeping reforms are underway, beginning with the suspension of the CEO of the Nursing Council. He also pledged to restructure the Ministry’s Human Resource Department and digitize the internship process to eliminate future malpractice.
The CS emphasized that only students who have fully graduated will now be eligible for internship. He clarified that a university completion letter does not equate to graduation and, moving forward, only graduates who have completed all requirements, including clearance and certification, will be considered.
Dr. Dabar Abdi Maalim, the newly appointed Chairman of the Nursing Council of Kenya, pledged to uphold the Ministry’s directives. “We will clearly follow a transparent criterion in issuing the posting letter. Only candidates who have successfully graduated will be eligible for internship,” he said.
In a bid to promote equity, Duale announced that internship priority will be given to graduates who have waited the longest since completing their studies, ensuring fair inclusion across cohorts.
Ian Nyantika, a nursing graduate from Moi University who had initially been excluded, welcomed the reforms. “We feel relieved because justice has been served,” he said, thanking the CS for acting swiftly and promising a more accountable system.
Duale also hinted at a policy shift requiring students to graduate, pass the council exam, and then proceed to internship reversing the previous order. This, he explained, will ensure nurses complete internship while holding licenses, ready for deployment to healthcare facilities.
The bold reforms are expected to restore integrity, transparency, and order in the nursing internship process nationwide.
