Ministry of Health Exposes 10 Universities for Sending Unqualified Nursing Interns to Hospitals
- Health CS Aden Duale uncovered more gaps in the scandal involving 2025/2026 nursing internship placements
- Over 300 students were found to be unqualified, while others who met the criteria were wrongly left out
- The Ministry now moves to correct the mess as investigations continue into the controversial placements
- Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, education analyst Kevin Nyangweso urged long-term accountability beyond reactive fixes to address systemic training failures
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
A major shake-up is unfolding in Kenya's nursing internship programme as fresh irregularities come to light.
Source: Facebook
On Wednesday, July 30, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale gave a fresh update on the ongoing investigations into the placement of nursing interns, following a scandal that had already rocked the ministry.
Duale revealed that out of the 2,089 Bachelor of Science in Nursing interns scheduled for the 2025/2026 cohort, 306 students were found to have been placed without meeting the required qualifications.
These postings were immediately revoked, alongside the 42 earlier revoked on July 21.
The CS named private and public universities implicated in releasing unqualified students to hospitals for practice, despite clear guidelines set out in the Nursing Council Act and the Public Service Commission’s regulations.
Which universities released unqualified nurses to hospitals?
According to the ministry, the affected numbers are from the below universities:
| Name of university | Number | Revoked |
| Baraton University | 92 | 2 |
| Catholic University | 6 | |
| Daystar University | 27 | 7 |
| Egerton University | 2 | |
| Embu University | 1 | |
| Karatina University | 1 | |
| Kenyatta University | 22 | |
| Kirinyaga University | 46 | |
| Kisii University | 22 | |
| Maasai Mara University | 2 | |
| Masinde Muliro University | 1 | 1 |
| Methodist University | 14 | 3 |
| Meru University of Science and Technology | 38 | |
| Mount Kenya University | 2 | 1 |
| Pwani University | 48 | |
| South Eastern Kenya University | 6 | |
| UMMA University | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 306 | 42 |
Nursing interns to collect offer letters in person
In a surprising twist, the Ministry also discovered that an additional 316 eligible students had been wrongly excluded from the internship list.
Duale announced that these students, who had fulfilled all the necessary requirements, would be issued offer letters in person.
Source: UGC
The affected pre-interns were directed to collect their official letters on Friday, August 1, from 7 am at the Ministry of Health headquarters, Afya House, Nairobi. Each student is required to present a valid national ID to confirm their identity during the process.
"The ministry remains committed to maintaining fairness, transparency and integrity in internship placements. We thank all stakeholders for their patience and trust in the government's effort to clean up the system," he said.
Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, education policy analyst Kevin Nyangweso warned that reactive interventions will not resolve the structural decay behind such scandals. He explained that while the Ministry’s immediate actions were commendable, they should be followed by long-term accountability measures across training and regulatory bodies.
“It is not enough to suspend a few officials and reverse placements. We must interrogate how these universities passed off unqualified students and whether regulatory oversight has collapsed. True reform begins when policy is enforced without fear or favour,” said Nyangweso.
Why was Nursing Council CEO Lister Onsongo suspended?
Meanwhile, the scandal has already claimed a high-profile casualty. Lister Onsongo, the CEO of the Nursing Council of Kenya, was suspended for failing to prevent the irregular placements.
Onsongo was accused of neglecting her regulatory duties, leading to a situation that compromised both training standards and patient safety.
Ann Mukuna, the Ministry’s director of standards and compliance, was appointed to serve as acting CEO as the investigations continue.
Which universities are offering uncredited degrees?
In March, the Commission on University Education (CUE) released a list of 15 universities offering unaccredited degree courses.
The commission noted that only 79 universities had been accredited to operate in Kenya, and advised students to verify the accreditation status of their preferred institutions before enrolling.
Out of the 79 accredited institutions, 38 are public universities, 28 are privately owned, three are specialised public universities, five are public university constituent colleges, two are accredited private university constituent colleges, and six are institutions holding letters of interim authority.
The 15 universities that were yet to be accredited by CUE to offer degrees by March 2025 were:
- Grace Life Bible College – Vihiga
- Africa Theological Seminary – Kitale
- Theophilus Theological College – Kiambu
- Northwestern Christian University – Kakamega
- Logos University – Kakamega
- Regions Beyond Ministry Bible College – Thika
- Baraton College – Kapsabet
- Word of Faith Bible College – Vihiga
- The Africa Talent University – Kisumu
- Kenya Anglican University-Kanyuambora – Embu
- The East African University Bradgate International University – Nyeri
- Al-Munawwarah College – Mombasa
- Eldoret Bible College – Uasin Gishu
- Breakthrough Bible College – Nairobi
- Harvest Land University – Kisumu
The commission also released a list of universities accredited to offer Law degrees, Master's and Diplomas.
They include the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Mount Kenya University, Catholic University, and Daystar University, among others.
Masolo Mabonga, HOD Current Affairs and Politics, updated this article with details on the list of universities offering uncredited degree courses.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
