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CS Ogamba has directed CUE to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programmes offered by Moi University and UoN following concerns that the programmes may not have the requisite accreditation.
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The move follows a legal challenge filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), which alleges that the two public universities have continued admitting students into dental surgery programmes that have not received the necessary accreditation and regulatory approval.
The Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba has directed the Commission for University Education (CUE) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programmes offered by Moi University and University of Nairobi (UoN) following concerns that the programmes may not have the requisite accreditation.
In a directive issued to the commission, Ogamba instructed CUE to investigate the status of the programmes and submit a detailed advisory report to the Ministry of Education within 14 days.
“The Commission is required to take note of the contents of the subject letter and render a comprehensive advisory thereon to the Ministry within 14 days from the date hereof,” the Cabinet Secretary stated.
The move follows a legal challenge filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), which alleges that the two public universities have continued admitting students into dental surgery programmes that have not received the necessary accreditation and regulatory approval.
COFEK Secretary-General Stephen Mutoro argued that the institutions have failed to demonstrate compliance with the legal requirements governing the offering of professional health training programmes.
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“The 2nd and 3rd respondents continue to offer and facilitate admissions into the impugned programmes without demonstrable accreditation and approval by the 1st respondent,” Mutoro stated in court documents.
The consumer rights lobby warned that allowing unaccredited programmes to continue poses a serious risk to public health, noting that graduates from such courses are entrusted with providing critical oral healthcare services.
“The programmes whose graduates are ultimately released into the healthcare system directly affect the health, safety and welfare of members of the public,” COFEK argued, adding that all healthcare training institutions must strictly comply with established accreditation standards before enrolling students.
The federation also faulted the relevant professional bodies for allegedly failing to adequately enforce accreditation requirements for dental and oral health programmes.
The dispute stems from an appeal filed by the Oral Health Association of Kenya challenging actions arising from an East African Community Joint Inspection Report on medical and dental training institutions.
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In a related development, High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi Musyoka is reported to have ruled that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale does not have unilateral powers to alter or regulate university health training programmes outside the existing legal framework, a decision that has further intensified the debate over regulatory oversight in medical education.
Mutoro maintained that there is no evidence showing that the dental programmes offered by Moi University and the University of Nairobi have obtained the approvals required under the Universities Act and other applicable regulatory frameworks.
“There exists no demonstrable evidence that the impugned programmes offered by the 2nd and 3rd respondents have received the accreditation and approval required under the Universities Act and the applicable regulatory framework,” he said.
COFEK is seeking court orders to suspend further admissions into the dental surgery programmes at the two universities until they are fully accredited by the relevant authorities.
The audit ordered by the Education Ministry is expected to determine whether the institutions have complied with statutory accreditation requirements and could significantly influence the future of dental education in Kenya.
By Ochola Victor
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