290 out of a total of 300 health professionals who undertook the mandatory English language test required to work in the UK failed, with only 10 passing the mark.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe made the revelation on Wednesday as he spoke during the Kenya Clinical Officers conference in Mombasa.

“We sent 300 people to do the English exams but only 10 passed the test, it is very regrettable. So I am challenging you that we are going to negotiate, yes, but you are going to have to pass the exams,” CS Kagwe said.

So let us prepare ourselves. Let us set the standards so that they are sure there is no exam anywhere on earth, that a clinical officer in Kenya can fail,” the CS  added.

Kenyan Health Workers to Get Jobs In UK 

The scheme to get Kenyan health professionals jobs in UK is part of the bilateral agreement signed between Kenya and UK in August this year, during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit.

Kenya and the United Kingdom signed Ks20bn deals during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s three-day visit to London.

The deals are set to unlock projects in Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Projects namely; healthcare, housing, manufacturing and energy and job creation.

Kenya signed two key health sector agreements with the United Kingdom in London on Health Workforce Collaboration and the launch of the UK-Kenya Health Alliance.

The agreements on Health Workforce Collaboration and the launch of the UK-Kenya Health Alliance provide a framework for health sector workers exchange and capacity building, and a platform for collaboration in health research and investments between the two nations respectively.

The agreement signed by UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Labour CS Simon Chelugui opens up opportunities for healthcare workers in Kenya to get more jobs in the UK’s National Health Service.

Kenya Ksh20bn UK Deal to Unlock Big Four Projects