The National Nurses’ Association of Kenya has called on politicians not to interfere with the delivery of health care services and the devolved factions of health systems.

The professional body has criticised the interference of health services and duties carried by health officials in Garissa County, calling on Garissa Governor Nathif Jama to protect devolution

Speaking in Mombasa, theNational Nurses’ Association of Kenya president Collins Ajwang has issued out 7 days’ notice to Farah Maalim, Member of Parliament for Daadab, to apologise for what he termed as demeaning and undermining the nursing profession, referring to his remarks made on March 31, 2026, on the floor of the National Assembly through Standing Order 259(d), which questions and diminishes the legitimacy of nursing and other healthcare professionals in the leadership of public health institutions.

parliamentary privilege

Ajwang said parliamentary privilege must be exercised with responsibility. Accuracy and fidelity to the constitution were referred to in the utterances which targeted the chief officer’s health. Garissa aimed at demeaning the female nurses who are equally qualified to manage health care in Garissa

“Health care leadership in Kenya is not a preserve of any single professional cadre; it is a multidisciplinary function anchored in competence, experience and demonstrable leadership capacity,” the health act no 21 of 2017 establishes an integrated health systems that ensures coordination across clinical,” added the National Nurses’ Association of Kenya president Collins Ajwang during a top nurses’ officials forum in Mombasa.

“Nurses constitute the largest segment of Kenya’s health workforce and remain the backbone of service delivery across all levels of care,” added Professor Lucy Gitonga, calling for respect for the nursing cadre.

Professor Gitongo emphasises that leadership roles within health facilities, including chief executive officer, are fundamentally managerial and policy-implementation positions not restricted to any one profession; hence, equal opportunity is key in promoting healthcare.

Nursing council

National secretary Daniel Chelle, on his part, has championed the training and hiring of more nurses in the country to support the achievement of universal health coverage in the country.