Registration and Licensing of Practitioners
This domain tests how a medical or dental practitioner lawfully enters, and remains on, the KMPDC register under the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap 253). The exam distinguishes registration from licensing, tests internship and foreign-qualification routes, and checks whether you understand annual retention requirements.
Registration is not the same as a licence
Registration places your name on the Council register. The annual practising licence (APL) is the separate, renewable authorisation to actually practise. A registered practitioner who has not renewed the APL must not see patients, sign certificates or prescribe. Practising without a licence is an offence.
Main routes
- Full registration: after recognised basic qualification plus satisfactory completion of a 12-month supervised internship in a KMPDC-approved facility, with a completed logbook.
- Conditional registration: time-limited and often tied to supervision, internship or a specific post; conditions must be met before full registration.
- Temporary registration: short-term, for visitors, locums or specific approved engagements; it does not create a permanent right to practise.
- Specialist recognition: a separate designation entered after recognised postgraduate training, not a substitute for full registration.
- Foreign-trained applicants: qualifications are verified; the Council may require a pre-registration examination, internship, English proficiency and evidence of good standing.
Worked example
A doctor qualified and licensed in Uganda applies to work in a Nairobi hospital. She assumes her Ugandan licence transfers. Correct reasoning: she must apply for KMPDC registration, submit verified transcripts and certificates, evidence of internship and good standing; the Council may require a pre-registration examination or supervised period. Only after registration does she apply for an APL for the current year. Her foreign licence is evidence of prior practice, not a Kenyan licence.
Traps
Assuming registration equals licensing; forgetting the annual CPD requirement (currently 50 points per year) at APL renewal; doing internship in an unapproved facility; treating temporary registration as permanent; and ignoring conditions attached to conditional registration.