The Ministry of Health has clarified reports that the British Government has halted the recruitment of nurses from Kenya.
In a joint statement by Health CS, Mutahi Kagwe, and British High Commissioner, Jane Marriott, the duo indicated that the recruitment mechanism would continue and had been strengthened in accordance with 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," read the joint statement.
The two entities indicated that the move would stop private companies taking advantage of the interest generated by the agreement between the two governments and stop uncontrolled recruitment.
Earlier reports had indicated that the British Government had temporarily halted the recruitment of nurses from Kenya.
The reports claimed that the UK Health Department was putting on hold the hiring process over what it termed as an existing workforce shortage in Kenya.
The UK, according to the reports, had noted that the Kenyan nurses already working in London had existing contracts that had not expired yet.
The clarification came just days after the government announced 90 per cent of those who sought to work in UK failed the basic English literacy test.
The government, through the Ministry of Health, stated that the nurses did not pass the language test which is a basic requirement to work in London.
The Kenyan and British governments had entered a mutual agreement to allow the latter to export qualified labour following a huge shortage reported by the National Health Service (NHS).
In late September 2021, Health Principal Secretary, Susan Mochache, her Labour counterpart Peter Tum, and officials from the Nursing Council of Kenya, negotiated terms of employment for nurses heading to the UK.
The deal was a culmination of meetings between President Uhuru Kenyatta and UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to tap into the unemployed workforce in the country and address the shortage of nurses in England.
“Our health partnership with Kenya is 30 years old and growing stronger by the month. This new agreement on health workers allows us to share skills and expertise even further, and is a fantastic opportunity for Kenyans to work in the UK,” British High Commissioner Jane Marriott stated.
Previous reports by the World Health Organisaton (WHO) indicates that Kenya is among 57 Countries which experiences a critical shortage of health care workers.
The reports indicated that there are even fewer nurses available in rural and remote areas.
