By Faith Anene, Kakamega
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has ruled out resigning over the ongoing Social Health Authority (SHA) scandal, insisting he has not violated any laws and that those pushing for his impeachment lack constitutional grounds.
Speaking in Kakamega during the rollout of the Taifa-Care Activation programme, Mr. Duale dismissed allegations linking him to companies benefitting from SHA contracts and challenged his accusers—led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna—to produce evidence.
“Grounds for the impeachment of a Cabinet Secretary are clearly outlined in the Constitution, which I have not violated. I have blocked the loopholes they used to steal public resources, and this has made them bitter. But we shall not be intimidated,” he said.
Opposition lawmakers under the Kenya Moja caucus have been demanding his resignation over what they term as SHA fraud. But Mr. Duale maintained that fraud cartels have long colluded with health facilities to exploit patients, saying ongoing reforms—including the Afya app and new digital health systems—will lock out profiteers.
At the same time, Duale announced that the government has committed Sh30 billion to settle debts left by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Of this, Sh5.3 billion is owed to individuals, with 92 percent of the arrears being bills below Sh10 million.
“We are waiting for the Treasury to introduce a supplementary budget that will allow the Ministry of Health to access the required funds,” he said, adding that bills above Sh10 million will undergo rigorous verification before settlement.
Despite mounting political pressure, Mr. Duale insisted he remains focused on reforms, vowing that cartels will no longer enrich themselves at the expense of patients
