The United Kingdom has put on hold plans to continue hiring Kenyan nurses citing shortage of nurses in the country.
The nurses whose applications had been accepted will however not be affected by the new directive.
The British government noted that it will still engage the Kenyan government on the matter but will still carry out fresh assessments and audits for both countries to ensure that the engagements are mutually beneficial.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and the UK entered an agreement to allow Kenyan health workers to work in the country.
The deal was sealed during president Kenyatta’s three-day visit in the country and was signed by UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Simon Chelugui.
In August, the government invited applicants for the available positions to submit their applications for consideration.
Requirements for consideration included Kenyan citizenship and possession of a diploma or degree in nursing from a recognized institution.
However, only 10 out of 300 nurses whose applications were successful passed a required English test for the jobs in the UK.
“Out of 300 health workers sent for an English language test only 10 passed. We had negotiated for clinical workers for job exports but this turn of events is unfortunate,” said Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on October 27.
Kenya National Union of Nurses however accused CS Kagwe of embarrassing them by publicly displaying their performance in the English test.
“Exams, be they British or Kenyan, are a private affair not to be discussed in public. We should not be embarrassed and looked down upon by other health workers,” KNUN deputy-secretary general Maurice Opetu told journalists.
RELATED STORY: Nurses Hit Back At CS Kagwe For Exposing Their Poor Results In An English Proficiency Test
