A fresh storm is raging in Parliament after MPs allied to the Kenya Moja coalition issued a hard-hitting ultimatum to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale: step down or face impeachment.
The lawmakers accuse CS Duale of presiding over a failing health sector, even as Kenyans continue to struggle under the government’s push to overhaul the system.
At the heart of the uproar are growing allegations of massive fraud within the Social Health Authority (SHA), including payouts to non-existent hospitals and fake claims.
Despite the mounting pressure, Duale has stood his ground, insisting he will not resign. But Kenya Moja MPs, styling themselves as Parliament’s “third force,” say they are ready to act.
“We have the signatures ready. Once Parliament resumes, we’ll table a motion. Duale must take political responsibility for the theft of taxpayers’ money at SHA,” declared Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Other legislators echoed the call, warning that lives were at stake.
“As you play your political games, 156 children are being born every hour many of them into a broken health system that cannot protect them,” said Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi was even sharper in his criticism:
“Since the President has failed to act, we will. You have stolen everything else, but Kenyans must be left with their right to health.”
But CS Duale has defended his decision to suspend SHA payments, saying the freeze was necessary to curb runaway fraud. He has also turned his guns on MPs, accusing some of being beneficiaries of the same schemes they now seek to politicize.
The standoff has further exposed deep political rifts. Government-allied legislators have closed ranks around Duale, urging him to stay put and continue his clean-up.
“Anyone sabotaging projects that serve ordinary Kenyans does not deserve to walk freely among them. We all know the rot at NHIF, where small clinics made more than referral hospitals,” Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot told a rally in Makueni.
South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro added that every player in the corruption racket whether in Parliament, governors’ offices, or SHA would eventually be held to account.
For now, Duale remains defiant, while his critics sharpen their knives for a showdown when Parliament resumes.