April 18, 2026
KMPDU Heaps Praises On CS Duale After Posting Over 6,000 Interns

KMPDU Heaps Praises On CS Duale After Posting Over 6,000 Interns

KMPDU has praised Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale for what it calls a rare display of leadership in tackling the ongoing medical internship crisis.

Duale has deployed interns on full salary without requiring them to perform protests.

Speaking in Nairobi, KMPDU Secretary General Dr Davji Atella stated that the union was encouraged by the ministry’s proactive settlement of issues that had previously forced medical practitioners to take to the streets.

“For the first time, interns were posted without any demonstration,” Dr Atella said.

“The issue that was affecting doctors, nurses, and clinical officers — where their salaries were reduced by over 70 per cent — has now been rectified. That must be lauded.”

He also stated that medical officer interns now get the standard Sh208,000, up from Sh206,000 due to inflationary adjustments.

“The same applies to nurses and clinical officers, who are now receiving what is recommended in the schemes of service. That’s because the minister understands his job. The previous ones did not.”

The statements came after the ministry announced on June 27 that 6,484 healthcare interns would be posted around the country for the 2025-26 cohort.

Doctors, nurses, clinical officers, dentists, and pharmacists have all been dispatched to various locations to provide supervised clinical training and services.

In a second clarification on X, Duale stated that intern doctors’ salary consists of a base pay of Sh46,120, plus allowances under CSG 9/JG ‘L’ bringing the total monthly compensation to around Sh208,000.

KMPDU’s appreciation comes amid the Health Ministry’s larger attempts to improve labor relations and modernize the industry.

On July 2, Duale met with the Kenya Union of Nurses (KNUN) and the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO).

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to moving eligible UHC employees to permanent and pensionable positions.

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The Cabinet Secretary noted that money had already been acquired and that a joint verification exercise would take place this month by national, county, and union teams.

“This will reconcile payrolls and guide the signing of the Return-to-Work Formula in August,” he said.

Duale also advocated for union support for the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill, 2025, which he deemed important to healthcare reform under Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

With unions hailing the ministry’s new approach, analysts believe the present handling of medical internships could mark a watershed moment in the government’s contentious relationship with frontline healthcare workers.

KMPDU Heaps Praises On CS Duale After Posting Over 6,000 Interns

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