From Nairobi to the NHS: A Kenyan Nurse's Guide to NMC Registration (2026)

Kenya's route into the NHS looks different from Nigeria's, Ghana's or Zimbabwe's in one important way: it runs partly through a formal government-to-government agreement, not just individual applications. Kenya is also the only one of the four focus countries with its own dedicated NCLEX test centre in Nairobi though for the NMC pathway specifically, the process runs through Pearson VUE like everywhere else.

Kenya's Status Is Different: The “Amber List,” Not the “Red List”

This surprises a lot of people. Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe all sit on the WHO's Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (often called the red list), where active UK recruitment is discouraged. Kenya is not on that WHO list at all. Instead, under the UK's own Code of Practice, Kenya sits on a separate “amber list” alongside Nepal, a category that exists specifically because Kenya and the UK signed a bilateral labour migration agreement in July 2021. On the amber list, active recruitment is allowed, but only within the terms of that government-to-government agreement, rather than through open-market recruitment agencies.

In practice, that agreement has moved real numbers of nurses: the first cohort of 19 Kenyan nurses left for the NHS in June 2022, and by April 2024 roughly 280 had migrated under the deal, with 200 more awaiting placement. The Kenyan government has also separately advertised more than 2,000 nursing vacancies in Gulf countries as part of a broader diaspora-labour strategy Kenya is unusually active among the four focus countries in treating structured migration as deliberate policy, not just an individual choice.

Where Kenyan Candidates Sit Their Exams

For the NCLEX pathway specifically, Kenya made history in January 2024 when Pearson VUE opened the first dedicated NCLEX test centre in Nairobi before that, Kenyan nurses pursuing US licensure had to travel to India or South Africa just to sit the exam. For the NMC UK pathway covered in this guide, the process is different: the CBT is a standard Pearson VUE booking like any other country, and Kenya has authorised CBT centres already in place always confirm the current active list on the official NMC/Pearson VUE portal before booking, since centres change over time. The OSCE, as for every country, can only be sat inside the UK.

Applying Outside the Bilateral Deal

The Kenya-UK agreement is not the only route in which individual Kenyan nurses can and do apply to the NMC independently, following the same CBT-then-OSCE process as any other country. For the full breakdown of what each exam part covers, see NMC CBT vs OSCE: What African Nurses Should Know Before Starting. Kenya's amber-list status means UK recruitment agencies can still engage with Kenyan candidates, unlike red-list countries where active agency recruitment is discouraged a practical advantage if you're weighing recruiter-assisted routes against a fully independent application.

What This Means for Your Application Strategy

• If you're already in contact with a recruiter or employer running a structured Kenya-UK placement programme, that route can move faster than an independent application, since coordination with the bilateral framework is often built in.
• If you're applying independently, your process is identical to Nigeria, Ghana or Zimbabwe document verification, English test, CBT, OSCE, registration and Kenya's amber-list status doesn't change any of the exam requirements themselves.
• English-medium, British-curriculum-influenced nursing education in Kenya has translated into strong exam performance on the comparable US pathway Kenyan candidates posted the highest first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate (69.1%) of any of the four focus countries in 2024, ahead of Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the Philippines alike. There's no reason to expect Kenyan candidates are at any disadvantage on the NMC CBT specifically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Kenya on the UK's nurse recruitment red list?

No. Kenya is not on the WHO's Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List at all, unlike Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe. Under the UK's own Code of Practice, Kenya sits on a separate “amber list” because of a formal bilateral labour agreement signed with the UK in July 2021, which permits managed recruitment within the terms of that agreement.

Q: How many Kenyan nurses have moved to the UK under the bilateral agreement?

The first cohort of 19 nurses left in June 2022. By April 2024, approximately 280 Kenyan nurses had migrated to the UK under the agreement, with roughly 200 more awaiting placement.

Q: Can Kenyan nurses apply to the NMC without going through the bilateral agreement?

Yes. Individual applications follow the same process as any other country: document verification, an English test, the CBT, the OSCE, and final registration. The bilateral agreement is one pathway among several, not a requirement.

Q: Does Kenya have its own NMC CBT test centre?

Kenya has Pearson VUE-authorised CBT centres for the NMC pathway; always confirm the current active location on the official portal before booking. Separately, Kenya opened the region's first dedicated NCLEX (US pathway) test centre in Nairobi in January 2024, a distinct exam from the NMC CBT.