The Health Ministry is facing mounting pressure after suspending the nursing internship deployment programme, following revelations that unqualified individuals had been irregularly included in the official posting list.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, said the ministry had uncovered serious discrepancies after meeting with officials from the Nursing Council of Kenya earlier on Wednesday.

He confirmed that at least 19 individuals who had not completed their nursing training had received posting letters, prompting a decision to withdraw the entire list for auditing.

“This morning I had a meeting with the CEO, and we found out about a number of anomalies of about 19 nurses who have not completed but have been given posting letters,” Duale said.

He added that all persons and institutions involved would be held accountable, including training institutions that may have facilitated the inclusion of ineligible candidates.

“We are withdrawing and auditing the whole list of nursing, and all the people responsible and the training institutions will have necessary action,” Duale stated.

The announcement has thrown into uncertainty the fate of thousands of nurses who had been waiting to begin their internship placements.

The affected list is part of the broader group of 6,484 healthcare interns announced by the Health Ministry on June 27, under the 2025/2026 internship cohort.

“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,” a statement from the ministry had earlier read.

Nursing interns had been allocated the largest number of positions in the rollout, with 2,098 slots dedicated to those holding bachelor’s degrees.

This entire group will now face delays as the ministry verifies each name on the list.

The internship programme had already stirred public concern after some medical interns received letters showing a monthly salary of  Sh46,120.

After a public uproar, the ministry was forced to clarify that this amount only reflected the basic salary and that additional allowances would raise the pay to between Sh180,000 and Sh208,000, depending on the intern’s duty station.

As investigations begin into how the unqualified names ended up on the nursing internship list, questions are being raised about the transparency and oversight within the ministry’s deployment process.

The suspension now threatens to disrupt internship plans for hundreds of qualified nurses across the country.