Editor's Review

The Ministry of Health has issued a clarification on the remuneration of medical intern doctors, following concerns over figures listed in the issued internship posting letters.

The Ministry of Health has issued a clarification on the remuneration of medical intern doctors, following concerns over figures listed in the issued internship posting letters.

The letters indicated that the intern doctors are set to receive a basic monthly salary of Ksh46,120. 

This led to an outcry from the medical fraternity who questioned the drastic drop from previous internship remuneration packages which often exceeded Ksh200,000 per month. 

However, in a statement on Tuesday, July 1, the Ministry of Health explained that the Ksh46,120 quoted in the letters represents only the basic salary.

The ministry noted that intern doctors are employed under the Civil Service Grade 9 (CSG 9), meaning they are entitled to various allowances in addition to the basic pay.

According to the ministry, when all the allowances are taken into account, the total gross monthly remuneration for intern doctors rises to approximately Ksh208,000.

"The Ministry of Health wishes to clarify that the posting letters for intern doctors specify a basic salary of Ksh46,120 per month, with allowances applicable to CSG 9/JG ‘L’, bringing the total monthly remuneration to approximately Ksh208,000," the statement read.

File image of Health CS Aden Duale when he commissioned the deployment of over 6,000 medical inters

This comes barely a week after the Ministry of Health announced the deployment of over 6,000 healthcare interns in a move aimed at deploying the interns on time. 

In a statement on Friday, June 27, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed the development, emphasizing the Ministry’s resolve to support the training of Kenya’s future healthcare workforce. 

"The Ministry of Health, in fulfilment of its commitment to ensure the timely deployment of interns by 1st July 2025, is pleased to announce the official posting of 6,484 healthcare interns under the 2025/2026 Internship Cohort," he said.

According to Duale, the interns will be placed in various accredited facilities across the country for a year-long training program.

"The interns will be deployed to accredited internship centres, where they will undertake a 12-month structured internship programme designed to provide supervised clinical training and practical exposure in real-world healthcare settings," he added.

The deployment includes 1,147 Medical Officer Interns, 87 Dentist Interns, 500 Pharmacist Interns, 659 BSc Clinical Officer Interns, 1,993 Clinical Officer Interns (Diploma), and 2,098 BSc Nursing Officer Interns.