The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU), led by National Secretary General Brown Ashira, has fiercely condemned the Ministry of Health (MoH) for excluding Public Health Officer Interns (PHOIs) from the recent 2026/2027 healthcare deployment cohort.

Labeling this move as systemic exclusion and illegal discrimination, the union argues that sidelining these essential workers violates constitutional rights to equality, fair labor practices, and public service values, while directly breaching the Health Act and the Public Health Officers and Technicians Act (Cap 353G) which mandates internship before licensing.

Rejecting the Ministry’s defense of budgetary constraints, KEHPHPU stresses that PHOIs provide indispensable frontline services—including disease prevention, epidemic monitoring, and environmental health surveillance—which are vital to addressing severe staffing shortages and maintaining Kenya’s preventative health infrastructure during a global climate and health crisis.

Consequently, KEHPHPU demands the immediate posting of all eligible PHOIs, the issuance of official establishment codes by the Public Service Commission, and the full allocation of internship stipends within the national budget to halt this institutionalized marginalization.

The union insists on standardizing conditions to ensure equitable treatment for all medical and public health professionals alike.

Issuing a stern ultimatum to Afya House leadership, the union warns that if the Ministry of Health fails to cease these discriminatory practices and provide a clear, public roadmap for the paid deployment of PHOIs, KEHPHPU will immediately mobilize its nationwide membership and university chapters to pursue robust industrial action and legal redress.