About 2.9 million Kenyans are jobless with those under 29 hardest hit.
Interns absorbed into the public service to gain work experience will now be entitled to a monthly stipend and personal accident insurance cover, among other benefits, if President William Ruto assents to the Public Service Internship Bill, 2022, into law.
The National Assembly has passed the Bill, sponsored by Samburu West Constituency lawmaker Naisula Lesuuda, which will also see interns receive benefits such as sick leave and maternity or paternity leave.
Samburu West MP and member of the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee Naisula Lesuuda at Bunge Tower Nairobi on April 17, 2025.
The personal accident insurance cover, however, shall be valid only for the duration of the internship period.
Details on the stipend amount and the leave days interns will be entitled to will be determined by the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the Public Service Commission through regulations that will be presented to the Committee on Delegated Legislation.
“Every intern engaged in the Public Service shall be eligible for payment of such monthly stipend as the Cabinet Secretary shall prescribe in regulations,” reads the Bill.
Interns will, however, not be eligible for pension or gratuity during the internship period, which will be a minimum of three months and shall not exceed 12 months.
The lawmakers noted that while the government has been offering internship opportunities through the Public Service, the programmes are often implemented in a haphazard manner and lack structure, negating the transferability of skills to interns.
During debate on the Bill, lawmakers also pointed out that the current government internship programme lacks transparency in its selection procedures, locking out many youths from opportunities as the processes are tainted by corruption, nepotism and favouritism allegations.
To address this, the Bill provides an elaborate and transparent recruitment process for interns and obligates all persons in charge of public service institutions to clearly identify and declare available internship opportunities, advertise them, and ensure nationwide circulation so that youths can be informed and apply.
“A person in charge of a public service institution shall advertise the internship opportunities on the website of the public service institution and in at least two newspapers of nationwide circulation,” reads the Bill.
“The advertisement shall contain all relevant information pertaining to the internship, including areas of specialization required, total number of interns required, duration of the internship and deadline for submission of applications,” further reads the Bill.
Parliament. Treasury PS Chris Kiptoo appeared before the National Assembly Special Funds Accounts Committee on November 11, 2025 and had to apologise for his no show in previous invites.
The Bill provides that any person shall be eligible as an intern if they have completed their certificate, diploma or degree qualification from an institution recognized in Kenya and have not been exposed to work experience related to their area of study.
To ensure interns are effective and gain the required experience, public institutions will now be required to set up internship management committees tasked with planning and budgeting for internship programmes.
The committee will also be required to provide the necessary facilities to enable interns to acquire the required skills and knowledge.
It will also appoint supervisors and mentors for the interns, who will ensure they are properly engaged in relevant work assignments, and monitor and evaluate the progress of internship programmes in their organisations.
Interns will, however, need to be careful, as the Bill provides that their internship can be terminated at any time on grounds of absence from the service institution without permission for a period of 24 hours.
Gross or disorderly conduct, failure to obey any law or instructions, and the commission of a criminal offence also form grounds for termination of the internship.
Terminating internship
For interns who may wish to willingly terminate their internship, the Bill provides that they must submit a 30-day notice in writing to the person in charge of the public service institution.
“I’m happy for the millions of youths in this country whose internship now has a legal framework. Previously, it was just loosely handled, but this House has really considered the plight of the youth, and I hope it will be assented to into an Act of Parliament soon,” said Gichugu MP Robert Gichimu.
Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga said the Bill, if signed into law, will go a long way in providing legal provisions for the management of internship programmes in the country.
“Previously, there were no guidelines on how internship was being managed, which made it open even for abuse,” Mr Chonga said.
“We now have a legal document. I hope interns will be treated better in this country and will also gain the requisite experience as they do their work,” further noted Ms Lesuuda.
Seme MP James Nyikal pointed out that the issue of interns had become abusive in some ways because many young people were taken into institutions, did meaningful work, but their work was not appreciated.
“Many times we have had people saying that these are students and therefore cannot be remunerated. This Bill now cures that,” Dr Nyikal said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
