Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has signalled a shift in Kenya’s health workforce policy, saying locally trained professionals will now take precedence in licensing and deployment over foreign practitioners.
In remarks shared with newsrooms, Duale said the government has a responsibility to first absorb Kenyan doctors, nurses and specialists whose training has been funded by taxpayers at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He noted that the move follows growing concern within the Ministry of Health over applications from foreign practitioners who, in some cases, are not fully accredited or recognised in their own countries.
According to the CS, Kenya’s approach aligns with global labour and health standards, pointing to guidance from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which encourage countries to prioritise employment for their domestic health workforce.
“No country anywhere in the world has built a strong and sustainable health system by relying on foreign health workers before fully utilising its own trained professionals,” Duale said, emphasising that Kenya must safeguard opportunities for its qualified citizens.
He clarified, however, that the ministry is not closing the door entirely to foreign practitioners. Applications from non-Kenyans will still be considered, but strictly on a case-by-case basis and only where clear gaps exist that cannot be filled locally.
