Persons masquerading as dentists or eye specialists risk paying fines of up to Sh 5 million or serve a jail term of up to 10 years in default.
This is according to a proposed new Bill sponsored by Nyeri Central MP Duncan Maina that seeks to amend the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act. Cap 253.
The Medical Practitioners and Dentists (Amendment) Bill 2026 seeks to provide for the regulation of community health officers, dentists and optometrists besides curbing fraudulent procurement of registration licenses by various practitioners.
Among some of its proposals include the imposition of a fine not exceeding five million shillings or an imprisonment not exceeding five years or both for anyone found practicing medicine or dentistry without being duly registered by the relevant State regulatory bodies.
Article 22(4) also proposes convictions of up to Sh 10 million for persons in charge of any health institution found culpable of engaging another person as a medical practitioner or dentist with the full knowledge that such an individual is not registered under the Act.
“A person who is not registered or licensed, including a person aiding or assisting therein, under this Act, and makes or produces or causes to be made or produced any false or fraudulent presentation or declaring either orally or in writing, commits an offence and shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding five million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both,” reads Section 22(1).
“A person who uses premises as a health institution which premises is not registered as a health institution commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding ten million shillings or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both,” continues the act in Section 22(5).
A person who detains a patient or the remains of a deceased person due to unpaid medical bills will also upon conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding five million shillings or to be sentenced to prison for a term not exceeding five years or both in line with Section 21(7) of the proposed legislation.
Persons who may feel dissatisfied by services offered at a particular health institution may also file formal such complaints through the proposed Medical and Dental Council of Kenya.
Upon inquiry, the Council shall give the accused medic an opportunity to be heard either in person or through a representative and afterwards either be cautioned or reprimanded in writing.
Where the Council feels the complainant rights were grievously infringed upon, it may suspend, withdraw or cancel the license of the particular health institution for a period not exceeding 12 months.
The Council may also opt to permanently remove the name of the individual medical practitioner or dentist from its register.
“Any person who is dissatisfied with any professional service offered, or alleges a breach of standards by a registered or licensed person under this Act, may lodge a complaint in the prescribed manner to the Council. The council may, or through a committee appointed for that purpose, inquire into any complaint of professional misconduct, malpractice or any breach of standards,” reads Section 20(1,2) of the Bill.
“Upon inquiry held by the Council to determine the complaint made under subsection (2), the person whose conduct is being inquired into shall be afforded an opportunity of being heard, either in person or through a representative,” continues the Act in subsection (3).
According to the Kenya Dental Association(KDA) Kenya has fewer than 800 active dentists although the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council(KPMDC) puts the number of those registered under its roll to between 1,400 and 1,500.
This figure however falls way below the WHO recommended number of 1 dentist for every 7,000 patients.
In addition, the Optometrists Association of Kenya(OAK) estimates those practicing as eye specialists in the country to be slightly above 300.
It is estimated that out of 7.5 million Kenyans needing eye care, only about 1.6 million are able to access an optometrist.
According to Kenya National Eye Health Strategic Plan (2020-2025) over 80 per cent of blindness in Kenya is attributed to curable or preventable causes.
Recent research shows that eye related issues such as Glaucoma, Diabetic eye disease and Cataracts are on the rise, affecting many people in the country and whole world at large.
A US National Institutes of Health Kenya Rural Blindness Prevention Project conducted in 1990 showed that 0.7 percent of rural Kenyans are blind by WHO standards, and another 2.5 per cent suffer significant visual impairment.
By Samuel Maina
