First Cohort of Kenyan Nurses to Leave for the UK on Tuesday

The first cohort of Kenyan nurses who have been recruited to work in the United Kingdom is set to leave the country on Tuesday.

On Monday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe flagged off the group of 19 nurses who have been employed in the UK National Health Service (NHS) under a bilateral labor agreement between Kenya and the UK. 

The MoU on the Kenya-UK Health Workforce Collaboration, which provides a framework for the exchange of healthcare workers between the two countries, was signed during President Kenyatta’s visit to London in July last year.

Kagwe indicated that the 19 were picked from a list of 3,329 nurses who applied last year. 13 of them will leave the country on Tuesday and will be attached to the Oxford University Hospital while the remaining six whose duty stations are yet to be determined will travel to the UK in two weeks’ time.

“Kenyan health workers should be broad minded. The fact that you trained in Kenya should not limit you to Kenya. Think broadly and explore opportunities outside the country. You are not rehearsing a life. In this one shot that you have, broaden your thinking and work in other places,” said Kagwe as quoted by Nation.

“The fact that Kenya's ambition is to become a health tourism destination, we are investing in that sector. This can only happen if the recipients of the opportunities are young people who will share their expertise from abroad and mentor those remaining in the country.”

The government set up a task force that will oversee the recruitment of subsequent cohorts of nurses to the UK and is also in the process of appointing a health attaché that will be stationed at the Kenyan embassy in London.

“We would have loved to see a higher number of nurses being part of this flag off, but it made sense to start small, and with one employer (Oxford University Hospital Trust) to ensure right systems and guidelines are in place before scaling it up to more employers,” British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriot said during the flag off of the nurses.

“For the UK, this is not just about filling gaps in the National Health Service (NHS) or providing employment opportunities for qualified unemployed Kenyan healthcare workers. It is about increasing the numbers and quality of healthcare workers in Kenya which will, in turn, facilitate the realization of UHC.”

Kagwe also announced that the government is in talks with other countries like Italy and Kuwait to recruit Kenya nurses as part of the efforts to ensure that over 11,000 caregivers who graduate every year secure jobs.

Last year, Labor Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui said Kenya will be sending about 20,000 nurses to the UK to address a shortage of 62,000.