The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has ordered the redeployment of 697 healthcare interns from Kiambu County, ending weeks of uncertainty caused by the county’s protracted doctors’ strike.
In a hard-hitting statement on Sunday, September 28, KMPDU Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah directed the interns to collect their redeployment letters from the Ministry of Health starting Monday, September 29, at 9:00 a.m.
“As the strike in Kiambu enters its fourth month with no end in sight, there is an urgent need to protect the sanctity of the internship programme,” said Atellah, warning that failure to collect the letters would amount to absconding duty.
The move affects a wide cadre of trainees: 138 medical officers, 48 pharmacists, 5 dentists, 297 BSc nurses, 134 diploma clinical officers, and 75 degree clinical officers.
The standoff in Kiambu has already disrupted the start of the interns’ 12-month programme, which began nationally on July 1, 2025. Unlike their peers in other counties, the Kiambu interns have been idle for months, raising fears they would lag behind in the critical hands-on training needed to qualify for professional licensing.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had earlier flagged the redeployment as inevitable if the strike dragged on. “This prolonged delay has caused considerable concern among the affected interns, particularly since their counterparts elsewhere have already commenced training,” Duale cautioned in August.
The decision now ensures the young medics can proceed with their rotations without being trapped in the labor standoff between the county government and striking doctors.
With the clock ticking on the internship calendar, the redeployment marks both a reprieve for the trainees and a stark reminder of how county-level strikes continue to disrupt the delivery of healthcare — and the careers of the next generation of medics.
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