The government has announced the posting of over 6,000 medical interns in the Health Ministry under the 2025/2026 Internship cohort.
In a statement released on Friday, June 27, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed the new development, with the interns set to be employed for 12 months in a structured, supervised programme.
“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,” the statement reads in part.
Of the 6,484 interns, 1,147 are set to be medical officer interns, with a further 87 deployed in the field of dentistry. Another, 500 were posted as pharmacy interns, and 659 landed positions as Bsc Clinical Officers.
1,193 interns with clinical officer diplomas were also recruited. The biggest stake went to nursing officers (degree) where a massive 2,098 interns were recruited.
The Ministry directed the pre-interns to collect their posting letters in person on Monday, June 30, from 9:00am at the Ministry of Health Headquarters, Afya House in Nairobi.
“Please note that posting letters will only be issued upon presentation of a valid National Identity Card. Timely collection will facilitate smooth reporting and preparation at the designated facilities,” the statement further reads.
In their new jobs, the medical interns are set to receive a gross income of approximately Ksh160,000. This is well below the Ksh206,000 demanded by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), as outlined in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Ministry of Health have often proposed a significantly lower figure, at times as low as Ksh47,000, citing fiscal constraints and the need for government-wide salary harmonization.
The stalemate over the posting of interns brought significant pressure on the government, with protests and even a nationwide doctors’ strike almost paralysing health facilities across the country.
The posting of the interns comes roughly two months after the completion of an online balloting exercise that was done by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to determine where the interns will be posted.
After completion of the whole exercise, the Ministry was to then use the placement list to guide the posting to various accredited health facilities.
