This archive report was first published on 27 October 2021.
Kenya's hopes of sending thousands of nurses to the UK have been dealt a blow after it emerged that only 10 out of 300 candidates passed a mandatory English test required for immigration.
According to Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe, the shocking statistic was revealed after 300 health workers were sent for the English language test.
“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 Kagwe.
Published on October 27, 2021, Kagwe emphasized the need for a universal standard, stating, “But to have this, we will need to have a universal standard. Failure in English among our health workers sent to work in England is extremely high. Let’s prepare ourselves, let us set the standards. Issue of quality training is crucial.”
Kenya was expected to send between 1,000 and 2,000 nurses to the UK by October, but the poor performance in the English test has cast doubt on this target.
Already, over 3,000 nurses have expressed interest in traveling to the UK for work, but they will need to meet strict requirements, including possessing a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from a recognized institution, a license from the Nursing Council, a valid police clearance certificate, and proof that they are not currently employed in the public or private sector.
Interestingly, Kenyans have been rated as the second most fluent English speakers in Africa, behind South Africa, according to the Education First English Proficiency Index (EPI).
