Cabinet Secretary for Health Hon. Aden Duale has sacked the Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK), Dr. Lister Onsongo.
In a strongly worded press statement issued Monday, Duale disclosed that 42 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students from 10 public and private universities were irregularly submitted for internship placements before completing their academic programs.
This, he said, was in clear contravention of the Nursing Council Act and the Public Service Commission (PSC) guidelines.
“The Ministry has revoked all internship letters issued to the affected 42 students with immediate effect. These individuals have been instructed to vacate their duty stations as investigations commence,” Duale stated.
In addition to Dr. Onsongo’s suspension, the Ministry has appointed Ms. Ann Mukuna, Director of Standards and Compliance, to take over the operations of the Council pending the outcome of a full internal audit.
The CS said the audit will cover the entire 2025/2026 internship cohort of 2,098 BSc Nursing students, warning that any individuals found culpable—whether within the Ministry, the NCK, or implicated universities—will face full accountability.
“This matter is being treated with the utmost urgency to safeguard professional standards, ensure compliance with statutory requirements, and protect the rights of nursing graduates and the public,” Duale added.
The Ministry is now tightening scrutiny on the role of universities involved in the scheme, as well as on internal lapses within the Nursing Council itself.
The sacking of Dr. Onsongo marks one of the most high-profile disciplinary actions taken in the health sector under Duale’s leadership, signaling a tougher stance against regulatory breaches in healthcare training and deployment.
