Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced the revocation of internship placements for 42 Bachelor of Science Nursing students.
In a statement on Monday, July 21, Duale said the students unlawfully submitted for the internship before completing their academic programs.
Duale described the incident as a serious breach of regulatory protocol, stating that both the universities involved and the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) disregarded legal and procedural frameworks set by the Public Service Commission and the Nursing Council Act.
"The Ministry of Health has uncovered a serious breach of regulations involving the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) and Ten Public and Private Universities, which unlawfully submitted 42 Bachelor of Science (BSc) Nursing students for internship before the completion of their academic programmes.
"This action is in direct contravention of the Nursing Council Act and the guidelines approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC)," the statement read.
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As a result, Duale confirmed that all 42 students have been stripped of their internship positions and they have been ordered them to vacate their respective duty stations.
"Consequently, the Ministry has revoked all internship letters issued to the affected 42 students with immediate effect. These individuals have been immediately instructed to vacate their duty stations as investigations commence," the statement added.
At the same time, Duale announced the suspension of NCK CEO Dr. Lister Onsongo to facilitate a thorough audit and ensure accountability.
In her place, Duale appointed Director of Standards and Compliance Ann Mukuna to oversee the council’s operations on an interim basis.
"In line with this, the Ministry has suspended Dr. Lister Onsongo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Council of Kenya, pending the outcome of a comprehensive internal audit of the full cohort of 2,098 BSc Nursing interns.
"Consequently, I have appointed Ms. Ann Mukuna, Director Standards and Compliance to take over the operations of the Council until further notice," the statement further read.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, July 9, Duale said the ministry would audit the internship placement list, and if anyone is found responsible for the anomalies, appropriate action will be taken.
“We have found out a number of anomalies. Some nursing students have not completed [school] yet they have been given posting letters which we will be withdrawing.
"We are auditing the whole list and if the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) CEO or the training institutions are responsible, we will take necessary actions," he said at the time.
