Kenyan Nurses to Pocket Up to Three Times their Current Pay in the UK

Kenyan nurses who are set to travel to the UK for work beginning next month are set to pocket huge salaries that could be as high as two to three times what their counterparts in Kenya earn.

This will be realized if the Kenyan government manages to negotiate for the health workers to earn the same as their UK counterparts.

The first batch of between 1,000 to 2,000 Kenyan nurses is expected to travel to the UK in October to work under the National Health Service (NHS), whose pay structure uses bands introduced in 2004.

The Royal College of Nursing estimates the average annual salary of an NHS nurse at Sh4, 324,410, according to Nation.

A newly qualified nurse enters the workforce at Band Five and can earn up to Sh397,977 (£31,534).

The pay for nurses working under the NHS also differs depending on the area they work. For instance, nurses who live and work in Inner London get 20 percent of basic salary that is subject to a minimum payment of Sh696,187 (£4,608) and a maximum payment of Sh1,072,231 (£7,097).

Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache is leading senior health, labor, and foreign affairs officials in the negotiations with their UK counterparts.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe denied reports that the government will get a percentage of the cash that Kenyan nurses will make in the UK.

“The discussions will be constructed in a very positive and constructive way. The objective of the government-to-government deal is to create employment for our nurses,” he said.

Kagwe said they have made plans to ensure that the move does not create a shortage of nurses in the country.

He noted that nurses who have specialized in fields such as nurse anesthetists, cardiac nurses, and critical care will not be part of the team that will travel.

“We want to protect Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and so we really do not wish to have brain drain because this might destabilize the health system,” Kagwe told Nation.

During President Kenyatta’s visit to London in July, the two nations signed a bilateral labor agreement that will see Kenyan healthcare professionals recruited to work under NHS.

Labor CS Simon Chelugui said Kenya agreed to send up to 20,000 nurses to the UK to address a shortage of 62,000. About 900 Kenyan nurses currently work in the UK public healthcare system.