Kenya Eyes Diaspora Nurses’ Expertise to Transform Healthcare Sector

Kenya plans to establish a formal partnership with the Kenyan Nurses Association of America (KNAA) to channel the expertise and professional networks of Kenyan nurses in the United States into the country’s healthcare system.

The proposed framework was announced at the opening of KNAA’s 2026 Annual Nursing Conference in Maryland, held from 17 to 19 September. The three-day conference brought together hundreds of Kenyan nurses and healthcare professionals to discuss leadership, innovation and patient safety.

Irene Karari, Director of the Skills and Expertise Division at the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, said the government wanted to move from informal engagement with the diaspora to long-term, institutional partnerships. Representing Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu, she said Kenyan nurses abroad should be recognised as development partners rather than only as professionals living outside the country.

Karari highlighted the contribution of Kenyan nurses beyond remittances, including mentorship, research, professional development and knowledge transfer. The proposed framework would establish defined programmes through which diaspora nurses could support skills development and innovation in Kenya’s healthcare sector.

The initiative is also part of Kenya’s wider approach to safe and ethical labour migration. As international demand for Kenyan healthcare workers increases, the government wants recruitment processes, recognition of professional qualifications and worker protections to remain central to its migration policies.

Karari said overseas employment opportunities should be accompanied by decent working conditions and appropriate professional safeguards. The approach is intended to support Kenyan nurses working abroad while maintaining their links with Kenya.

KNAA founder and president Dr Jelliah Akombe welcomed the government’s involvement, saying the partnership would provide an opportunity to make greater use of the expertise and networks within the Kenyan nursing diaspora. The conference, held under the theme “Transforming Healthcare Through Nursing Leadership, Innovation and Proactive Safety”, also examined ways in which nurses’ expertise could contribute to Kenya’s health sector.