The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned the public against seeking treatment from graduates of the disputed dentistry programme after a High Court declined to issue interim orders in a case over dental training standards.

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In a notice on Saturday, June 27, KMPDU cited severe risks to patient safety, urging regulatory bodies to crack down on unverified training facilities.

According to the union, it is pushing to prioritize locally trained, qualified professionals, rather than substandard trainees who are offering services to Kenyans.

"The public is hereby strictly cautioned. Seeking dental services from individuals trained under these compromised, unauthorized conditions poses a severe risk to public health," KMPDU stated.

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"Do not compromise your safety by seeking treatment from unqualified practitioners operating without standard clinical qualifications," it added.

The warning came after the Milimani Law Court on June 24, 2026, declined to certify as urgent a petition filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) over the KMPDU's stance to scrap the dentistry programme from some private universities. The court ruled that the matter did not warrant ex parte consideration at the first instance.

The court directed COFEK to serve the petition and its application for conservatory orders on the respondents and interested parties, who have been given 14 days to file their responses before the matter proceeds to a full hearing.

In its statement, KMPDU alleged that COFEK had targeted established institutions, including the University of Nairobi, Moi University and the Kenya Dental Association, while defending a private university that it claimed had not been inspected and lacked the mandatory infrastructure required to train dental surgeons.

The union further alleged that the institution's dentistry programme was unaccredited . It accused it of relying on outdated and compromised inspection reports to market the course.

In its ruling, the court declined to certify the matter as urgent, directing that all parties be heard before any determination is made on the application for conservatory orders.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke