This archive report was first published on 31 October 2021.
Kenya's deal with the UK to allow unemployed nurses to work in the UK's National Health Service has been met with disappointment for many Kenyan nurses.
According to Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, only 10 out of 300 Kenyan nurses who sat the NHS English language exam passed, despite the country being an English-speaking nation.
Moses Riyanga Onkenke, a nurse from Kisii in western Kenya, is one of those who failed the exam, telling the BBC that he felt 'totally embarrassed' after failing the test.
Onkenke, who speaks English fluently, attributed his failure to the way the exam was conducted, citing time constraints and the use of non-African accents in the recordings.
He also expressed surprise that the exam was required, saying 'we thought since we are an English-speaking country we will be exempted from the language exams.'
Onkenke's experience is not unique, with some candidates having sat the exam multiple times. One candidate has reportedly sat the exam 14 times, while another has sat it six times.
The English language test costs $290 (£210) and the certificate given to those who pass expires after two years.
Kenya signed the deal with the UK in July, which was meant to allow unemployed health workers to serve in the UK's National Health Service before returning to work in Kenya.
