Cabinet Secretary for Health Hon. Aden Duale today inaugurated the newly appointed Board of the Clinical Officers Council (COC), led by Chairperson Dr. Joseph Choge, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to strengthening regulation of clinical training and practice in Kenya.
Speaking during the inauguration at Afya House, Hon. Duale cautioned against the unregulated expansion of clinical officer training programmes, stressing that oversight must align with the country’s health workforce needs and epidemiological priorities.
The CS noted that the Council has a critical statutory mandate to regulate the training, registration, licensing, and professional conduct of Clinical Officers, adding that effective regulation is essential to maintaining high standards of care and protecting patient safety.
Hon. Duale said strengthening oversight of the health workforce is central to the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the realisation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which depends on a competent, disciplined, and well-regulated workforce.
He also called for closer collaboration between the Clinical Officers Council, the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to harmonise scopes of practice and improve coordination across regulatory bodies.
The CS further urged the Council to work closely with the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Digital Health Agency (DHA) to strengthen quality of care and support the integration of health data systems.
On professional accountability, Hon. Duale warned that negligence, fraud, or actions that endanger patients will not be tolerated, urging the Board to strengthen disciplinary mechanisms and safeguard the integrity of the Clinical Officer profession.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Ms Mary Muthoni, Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director of Curative and Nursing Services Dr. Andrew Toro, and COC CEO/Registrar Mr. Ibrahim Wako, among other officials.
By Anthony Solly
