In Kenya and Uganda there has been a recent and rapid proliferation of private training institutions to increase the supply of nurses. These institutions have notable differences with conventional public training institutions including in their ownership and governance, organisational goals and culture, and sources of finance. These differences may also determine nursing graduates’ employment choices and their likelihood of working in public or private facilities.

This research aims to elucidate the emerging role of private sector nurse training institutions in Kenya and Uganda. Despite the growing number of private intuitions in these countries, little is known about their role in addressing the nursing shortfall in public health facilities, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas.