Fellow Nurses Africa News | Nairobi, Kenya | 21 July, 2025.
Kenyan Nursing Crisis: NCK Registrar Dr. Lister Onsongo Suspended Over Internship Fraud Scandal
In a major shake-up within Kenya’s healthcare sector, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has suspended Dr. Lister Onsongo, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), over a fraudulent internship placement scheme. The scandal involves ten public and private universities that unlawfully submitted 42 Bachelor of Science (BSc) Nursing students for internships before they completed their academic programs, breaching the Nurses Act Cap 257 and Public Service Commission (PSC) guidelines.
On July 21, 2025, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued a statement revoking the internship letters of the 42 affected BSc Nursing students with immediate effect, ordering them to vacate their duty stations as investigations commence. The ministry has initiated a thorough audit of the entire 2,098 BSc Nursing intern cohort to uncover further irregularities. Dr. Onsongo’s suspension is effective pending the audit’s outcome, with Ms. Ann Mukuna, NCK’s Director of Standards and Compliance, appointed to lead the council’s operations in the interim.
“The Ministry is committed to upholding the integrity of healthcare training and deployment. All individuals found culpable—whether at the Ministry of Health, the NCK, or within the leadership of the implicated universities—will face full accountability,” Duale declared, stressing the need to safeguard professional standards and protect the rights of nursing graduates and the public.
The suspension follows Duale’s earlier remarks on July 9, 2025, during a Citizen TV interview, where he flagged anomalies in the internship placement process. He noted that 19 students who had not completed their studies were improperly issued posting letters, prompting the ministry to plan a comprehensive audit. “We are auditing the entire list, and if the Nursing Council of Kenya or training institutions are responsible, we will take necessary action,” Duale stated.
This crisis emerges weeks after the MoH announced the deployment of 6,484 healthcare interns on June 27, 2025, under the 2025/2026 Internship Cohort. The cohort, including 2,098 BSc Nursing Officer interns, 1,993 Clinical Officer interns (Diploma), 1,147 Medical Officer interns, 659 BSc Clinical Officer interns, 500 Pharmacist interns, and 87 Dentist interns, was placed in accredited facilities for a 12-month structured training program. Duale had emphasized the ministry’s commitment to timely intern deployment and robust clinical training, making the current scandal a significant setback.
Dr. Onsongo, who assumed the NCK Registrar and CEO role on September 1, 2024, after a competitive recruitment process, was tasked with regulating nursing and midwifery education and practice. Her suspension has ignited debate within the nursing community, with X posts reflecting varied sentiments—some view the action as necessary to uphold standards, while others argue the issue is a “technical oversight” not warranting such a drastic measure.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has previously praised Duale for resolving internship placement issues without protests, but the current fraud allegations have raised concerns about oversight in nursing education. The MoH has called for transparency and urged stakeholders to report irregularities in healthcare training.
Fellow Nurses Africa will continue to monitor this developing story as the audit progresses.
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