DUALE VOWS TO END CORRUPTION IN NURSING INTERNSHIPS AFTER AUDIT EXPOSES IRREGULARITIES

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has pledged to eradicate corruption in the Ministry of Health following a damning audit that revealed widespread irregularities in the allocation of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) internship placements.
The internal audit exposed that 42 students who had not completed their nursing programs were irregularly issued internship letters, while 339 eligible candidates were unfairly left out. Additionally, several foreign students—who are ineligible for government-funded internships—were wrongly included in the placement list.
In response, CS Duale revoked the irregular internship letters and ordered the affected students to vacate their postings with immediate effect. He also suspended the Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), Dr. Lister Onsongo, for failure to vet the submitted data properly. Ann Mukuna, Director of Standards and Compliance, has taken over in an acting capacity.
“This Ministry will not tolerate any form of corruption. Those responsible will face full disciplinary and legal action,” Duale said during a press briefing at Afya House.
As part of reforms to restore integrity in the placement process, the Ministry announced the creation of a centralized digital system to manage internship allocations. New guidelines will also be issued under the Health Act to ensure transparency and accountability.
Furthermore, the Ministry is seeking KSh 408 million from the National Treasury to absorb the 339 eligible interns who had previously been excluded due to limited funding.
In a follow-up action, the Ministry revoked an additional 306 internship placements on July 30 for students who had not yet graduated. Meanwhile, 316 rightful candidates have been confirmed and directed to collect their internship letters from the Ministry starting August 1.
The crackdown marks a significant shift in how health internship placements will be handled moving forward, with Duale promising sustained oversight and reforms across the board.