Duale Suspends Nursing Council CEO Over Internship Irregularities
The government has officially suspended the Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), Lister Onsongo, over serious allegations involving the illegal listing of nursing students for internship programs before they had completed their academic studies.
In a press statement released on Monday, July 21, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed the suspension. He stated that an investigation by the Ministry of Health had exposed a significant violation of regulations, implicating the Nursing Council and several universities.
According to the Ministry, a total of 42 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) students from 10 different public and private universities were submitted for internship placements despite not having finished their academic coursework.
The Ministry termed this move as a gross breach of the Nursing Council Act and the Public Service Commission Act, which govern the conduct of training and internship placements in the healthcare sector.
As a result of these violations, Lister Onsongo has been relieved of her duties temporarily while an internal audit is carried out. During the investigation, Ann Mukuna, who serves as the Director of Standards and Compliance at the Nursing Council, has been appointed to serve as the acting CEO.
The Ministry of Health has also revoked the internship appointment letters that were issued to the 42 nursing students involved in the illegal placements.
The students, who had already reported to various hospitals and health facilities, have now been instructed to vacate their duty stations immediately.
This development comes shortly after the government, under the leadership of CS Duale, flagged off the deployment of 6,484 healthcare interns across Kenya on June 30.
Among these were 2,098 interns pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, marking the beginning of the 2025/2026 internship cycle.
During the launch, Duale emphasized the government’s goal to enhance and strengthen Kenya’s healthcare system through well-trained professionals.
However, just a few weeks into the internship program, the Ministry has announced that it will be conducting a full-scale audit of the entire 2025/2026 internship group. This move is intended to ensure that only eligible and qualified candidates are placed in medical internship programs.
“The Ministry is deeply committed to maintaining high standards in the training and deployment of healthcare workers,” the statement from Duale read. “Anyone found guilty—whether from within the Ministry of Health, the Nursing Council, or any of the universities involved—will face the full force of the law.”
Concerns about irregularities in the internship process were first raised on July 10 when the Ministry discovered that 19 students had received internship placement letters despite not having completed their training.
At the time, CS Duale warned that an investigation would be launched, and that strict action would be taken against any parties responsible for these illegal inclusions.
Medical internships in Kenya are highly sought after, largely due to the attractive compensation. Intern doctors receive a basic salary of Ksh 46,120. When allowances under the Civil Service Guidelines (CSG 9 / Job Group L) are added, monthly earnings can rise to as much as Ksh 208,000, depending on the intern’s station of deployment.
The Ministry of Health has now made it clear that it will not tolerate any manipulation of the internship system, stressing that transparency and accountability will be enforced at every level of the healthcare training pipeline.
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