Updated 2026-11-16
If you are applying for a medical doctor or dentist job in Kenya, check your status with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council - KMPDC - before you apply. Registration and an annual practice licence are different steps. KMPDC registers practitioners and issues practice licences.
A genuine job recruitment process is free. Never pay a recruiter, employer or intermediary to secure a job.
For a Kenyan citizen seeking full registration as a medical or dental practitioner, KMPDC says you must hold a Council-recognised degree or qualification from a university in Kenya or the East African Community, pass the internship qualifying examination, show proof of internship completion, pass the pre-registration examination, and satisfy the Council that you are of good moral standing.
| Applicant route | What KMPDC says is required |
|---|---|
| Kenyan full registration | Recognised qualification, internship qualifying examination, internship completion proof, pre-registration examination and good moral standing. |
| EAC reciprocal registration | Recognised qualification, proof of registration in the country of origin and good moral standing. |
| Non-EAC foreign temporary registration | Recognised qualification, registration proof from the country of origin or another jurisdiction, sufficient knowledge and experience, good moral standing, and the Council-prescribed examination. |
Use KMPDC's registration requirements page as the starting point. The Council's downloads page includes forms for permanent registration, reciprocal registration, temporary registration, internship licences and examination applications. Read the current form and official notice before sending anything, because the page does not set out a full document checklist for every route.
First identify your route: Kenyan full registration, EAC reciprocal registration, or foreign temporary registration. Do not assume that a degree alone is enough for registration.
The KMPDC registers have separate areas for local practitioners, licensed practitioners, EAC practitioners and foreign practitioners. This is a useful check for the registration or licence status an employer may ask you to provide.
For foreign-trained graduates, KMPDC says qualifications equivalent to the University of Nairobi MBChB or BDS are assessed through Council examinations for registration or internship eligibility. Approved EAC medical and dental school graduates are exempt from Board examinations under reciprocal recognition. See KMPDC's foreign-trained doctors guidance.
KMPDC says eligible medical and dental practitioners, including foreign doctors, apply for practice licences online through osp.kmpdc.go.ke. Licence categories listed by the Council include general practice, registrar, senior registrar and specialist practice.
The current official notice is for the 2027 licence year. It says the renewal portal is open and sets 30 November 2026 as the renewal date, with late-renewal penalties applying after 31 December 2026. It requires at least 50 CPD points on iCPD Kenya and a valid indemnity cover for a practice-licence application.
| 2027 licence category | Official amount for Kenyan practitioners |
|---|---|
| General practice | Kshs. 10,000 |
| Registrar | Kshs. 10,000 |
| Senior registrar | Kshs. 20,000 |
| Specialist practice | Kshs. 20,000 |
These are KMPDC regulatory licence charges, not recruitment charges. The official notice says payment is through the system-generated invoice in the online services portal. Do not send money to a person who claims they can get you a job or speed up a licence.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| KMPDC registration evidence | Use the registration route and prescribed form that applies to you. |
| Internship completion proof | KMPDC lists this for Kenyan full registration. |
| Examination results where required | KMPDC lists internship qualifying and pre-registration examinations for Kenyan full registration, and gives separate guidance for foreign-trained graduates. |
| Valid indemnity cover | The 2027 practice-licence notice calls it mandatory for a licence application. |
| CPD record | The same notice requires a minimum of 50 CPD points for a practice-licence application. |
| Current practice licence | Check the individual job advert to see whether it asks for a current licence or a copy. |
If you are an EAC applicant, KMPDC's practitioner information page lists a passport or national ID copy, coloured passport photo, internship-completion certificate, evidence of provisional or permanent registration by an EAC board or council, certified academic and professional certificates, CV, and certificate of status or good standing. It also says applicants who completed internship in their training country are exempt from the Council pre-registration examination under the protocol.
No. KMPDC separately describes practitioner registration and annual practice-licence applications. Check both your registration record and your licence position before applying where an advert requires them.
Do not assume so. KMPDC says foreign-trained doctors with qualifications equivalent to University of Nairobi MBChB or BDS must sit Council examinations to determine eligibility for registration or internship training, subject to the EAC reciprocal-recognition exception it describes.
KMPDC's notice dated 25 September 2026 says to renew by 30 November 2026. It says late-renewal penalties apply after 31 December 2026.
No. Recruitment is free. KMPDC may charge official regulatory fees for licences or applications, but use only the official Council portal and system-generated invoice where the Council instructs you to pay.