By Anderson Ojwang
President William Ruto could have finally found the gel to the troubled Ministry of Health and Medical Services that has witnessed incessant and ceaseless demonstrations by health workers and diminishing healthcare service delivery to the public.
The recent appointment, Adan Duale to the Health Ministry and also the appointment of Dr Ouma Oluga as the Medical Services Permanent secretary perfectly fitted the jigsaw.
Duale has brought in the political goodwill to the ministry and his ability to tackle the hard issues that the previous cabinet secretaries feared to address with the President is helping make the ministry emerge as one of the performers.
Similarly in Dr Oluga, President Ruto has addressed the administrative challenges in the ministry and with the PS background as a unionist, he is rest assured that the former chairman of the union will effectively address the matters that he previously advocated for.
Both the CS and PS are hands on and persons with strong personalities that gives the ministry a perfect match to roar back and restore the faith of Kenyans in the health services provision.
This is why Duale he had to engage with the President on his mandate in his new docket, with Ruto endorsing his decision to do whatever it takes to ensure SHA works.
“With the commitment of the President and my commitment, I want to assure Kenyans that universal healthcare is for all citizens.
For those with personal interests, they better come to their senses and decide whether they want to work for citizens or work for themselves,” he said.
And now the Ministry of Health has shut down 35 private hospitals across the country over alleged irregularities in the administration of Social Health Authority (SHA).
Duale said the affected facilities, located in Kisumu, Bungoma, Busia, Nairobi, Kilifi, Mandera, Wajir, and Kajiado counties, were found to have submitted double claims in a coordinated scheme to defraud the public health insurer.
At a recent function in Kisumu, Duale said the crackdown was part of a broader effort to rein in unscrupulous health providers exploiting SHA for personal gain.
He revealed that some hospitals had presented fake documents to secure SHA accreditation, while others billed outpatient services under inpatient claims to inflate reimbursements.
Additionally, discrepancies were discovered in declared bed capacities.
“How can a hospital with 14 beds claim to have 100? This is outright theft.
They think we are still in the NHIF era where such activities thrived,” said the CS.
Dr Oluga recently said “The greatest barrier to health services is no longer their availability, but misinformation and people working at cross purposes.
This is hurting the ordinary Kenyans.
When we unify our efforts, and establish order in the health sector, it is for the benefit of all Kenyans.
We are keen to align health sector players as a means to establish one plan, one budget and one M & E strategy. Order means we all do things that complement each other.”
Equally, Duale during a recent maiden visit to Kenyatta National Hospital posted in his X space said “In consultative meeting with the Board and Senior Management, I emphasized the need for strong leadership, accountability and world-class service standards across all referral facilities.
Additionally, I urged development partners to support KNH in equipment upgrades, digital transformation, research and training.”
On SHA Oluga wrote “These numbers are legit.
You can challenge them if you have alternative figures from Kenya National Bureau of statistics and I will gladly accept the lie.
On a daily basis we are on the ground with Kenyans ensuring that no one is left behind from accessing healthcare based on financial hardship.
The story has changed SHA is working.
That’s the job.
SHA IS WORKING
1. 23 million registered members
2. 50,000 daily new registrations
3. 43B disbursed in 8 months
4. 4.5 million Kenyans treated and fully paid for without any additional cost to them
5. Emergency Fund established and operational at the cost of government as per the Constitution.
6. Primary Healthcare Fund operational and paying for services on all SHA contracted Level 2 to Level 4 public, private and faith-based hospitals without cost to patient.
7. SHA settling payments every 14 days
8. And now you can LIPA SHA POLE.
9. Dial *147#”
Dr Oluga told all the pre-interns to take note that there will be no more delays in commencing internship.
And Duale recently officially commissioned the deployment of 6,484 healthcare interns across the country, marking the commencement of the 2025/2026 internship cohort.
“The posting is a key milestone in the government’s commitment to timely deployment of interns and the broader agenda of strengthening Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” he said.
Duale emphasized the critical role of a skilled and ethically grounded health workforce in delivering quality care to all Kenyans.
He noted that the interns will be placed in accredited facilities for a structured 12-month clinical training program in line with global standards.
“These young professionals are not just numbers; they are future caregivers.
Every patient they encounter represents a life, a story, and a trust placed in their hands.
I expect them to serve with discipline, humility, and professionalism,” said the CS.
He said Kenya Kwanza government has deliberately placed health at the core of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which demands a workforce that is not only technically competent, but also compassionate, accountable, and driven by integrity.
CS reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to transparent and timely internship deployment, strategic workforce planning, and professional development that meets international benchmarks.
Dr. Oluga said the digitizing health facilities was a key step towards improving health service delivery, enhancing accountability, and ensuring timely reimbursement for services rendered under SHA.
The system will provide accurate, real-time patient data to support claims processing and performance tracking.
Duale has assured Development Partners in Health, Kenya (DPHK), of the government’s resolve to eliminate fragmentation in the health sector through full digitization.
The CS emphasized that all health systems, existing and new must be certified and coordinated through the Digital Health Agency, as outlined in the Digital Health Act and its regulations.
He noted that digitization will enhance service delivery, enable telemedicine, track and trace health products to end users, and ensure only qualified professionals provide care.
“We are building an integrated digital framework to align donor support with national goals and ensure long-term sustainability,” he said.
