Kagwe Says Plan By UK Gov’t To Recruit And Absorb Kenyan Nurses On Course

NAIROBI,Kenya, Nov, 12 – A joint statement by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott Friday dispelled rumours that a move to have Kenyan nurses recruited and absorbed into the UK’s National Health Service had been halted.

The two revealed that the recruitment mechanism are set to continue having been strengthened in accordance with the World health Organisation (WHO) code of practice for international recruitment  of health and social care personnel in the United Kingdom.

“Moving Kenya from green to amber means international recruitment is only permitted in compliance with the terms of a government-to-government agreement,” Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said in a joint statement with UK’s Jane Mariott,” read  section of the joint statement.

Concerns had been raised by the two that private entities would take advantage of the interest generated by the agreement between Kenya and the United Kingdom.

The two will now aim to combat the issue of uncontrolled recruitment.

In July, Kenya and the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding geared towards recruiting Kenyan nurses into the NHS.

“The latest development will give the two governments more control to manage recruitment so that any future international recruitment is managed strictly in compliance wit terms of a government to government agreement,”

Though Kenya is yet to reveal the number of  health workers set to be recruited,  it is expected to regulate the process.

Structures agreed upon between the two states will be set up at the Kenya Medical Training College,(KMTC) in Nairobi where health workers will undergo exams, mock administration in order to ensure they are well prepared to be absorbed by the NHS.

The health ministry has promised to promote ethical and high standards in recruitment while at the same time practising fairness and transparency.

Kenya-UK Health Partnerships

At the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, president Uhuru Kenyatta was briefed by  the Kenya-UK Health Alliance (KUKHA) on the progress of the implementation of the broad strategic partnership including the roll-out of the Jomo Kenyatta Scholarship programme and the building of a state-of-the-art training centre at Kisii University.

The Jomo Kenyatta Scholarship is a specialised medical training and capacity enhancement programme that will see Kenyan healthcare providers trained in the UK in a wide array of specialised medical areas.

The scholarship will also provide for the exchange of postgraduate medical students between Kenya and the UK with a view of enhancing research capabilities and healthcare service delivery in the two countries top among them oesophagus and breast cancers which are rampant in Kenya.

The training centre at Kisii University will be a regional hub for healthcare research, innovation and training of advanced level medical personnel for Kenya and Eastern Africa countries.

Key among KUKHA’s programmes in Kenya is the ongoing progressive set up of an oncology centre of excellence at the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital (KUTTRH), of which a world-class imaging facility has already been installed and was recently unveiled by President Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.