Kenyan-born US lawmaker Huldah Momanyi travelled to Nairobi just two days after securing re-election to represent Minnesota’s District 38A, leading a delegation of 14 healthcare professionals to explore a partnership that could create employment opportunities for Kenyan nurses.
Momanyi won her re-election bid on Tuesday and boarded a flight to Kenya on Thursday. Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation Kenya’s The People’s Breakfast, she said the trip combined a long-standing healthcare initiative with an opportunity to reconnect with her roots after a demanding election season.
“I will always be grounded in who I am as a Kenyan. I’m very proud Kenyan-American,” she said.
Why Huldah Momanyi travelled to Kenya after re-election
Momanyi explained that her visit was primarily focused on strengthening economic cooperation between Kenya and Minnesota, particularly in the healthcare sector.
The initiative builds on groundwork previously undertaken by Kenyan-American Dr Abila Kumar and Representative Mahamud Noor, a Somali-Kenyan lawmaker.
Momanyi has since taken the lead in the latest phase of the initiative, bringing together 14 healthcare providers for discussions with Kenyan officials.
Minnesota faces shortage of 30,000 nurses by 2030
One of the major issues driving the proposed partnership is Minnesota’s projected shortage of healthcare workers.
According to figures cited by Momanyi during the interview, Minnesota could face a deficit of approximately 30,000 nurses by 2030.
The shortage is expected to put additional pressure on healthcare facilities, particularly as the state’s ageing population increases demand for medical and nursing services.
The projected deficit also does not account for other essential healthcare workers, including nursing assistants and support staff.
Kenya and Minnesota discuss nurse recruitment programme
During the visit, Momanyi’s delegation held discussions with Kenya’s Ministry of Health on a possible framework for recruiting Kenyan nurses to work in Minnesota.
She was also photographed alongside Dr Oluga during the engagements.
However, the discussions are not limited to moving healthcare professionals from Kenya to the United States.
Momanyi said the initiative would also explore ways of returning resources, technology and expertise to Kenya to ensure local communities benefit from the arrangement.
“How do we also invest back here to combat that whole idea of brain drain? Can we bring back resources, technology, information sharing that can help the populations of where we are getting these nurses?” she said.
Pilot programme already tested with Kenyan nurses
The proposed partnership has already moved beyond preliminary discussions.
Momanyi revealed that a pilot programme was conducted in September 2026, during which a group of Kenyan nurses travelled to Minnesota and secured placements in healthcare facilities.
The experience is expected to inform the next phase of the initiative.
The delegation is now looking at expanding the pilot into a fully operational programme, although further details about the number of nurses to be recruited, eligibility requirements and implementation timelines have not been provided.
What the Kenya-US healthcare partnership could mean
If expanded, the initiative could open additional international employment opportunities for Kenyan nurses while creating channels for professional knowledge exchange and investment in Kenya’s healthcare sector.
The proposed reinvestment component is particularly relevant to concerns about the loss of trained medical professionals to overseas employers.
For now, discussions between the Kenyan and Minnesota representatives are focused on developing a programme that addresses Minnesota’s staffing needs while delivering benefits to Kenya.
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