'He must go!': Why MPs want to kick out Duale

Health CS Aden Duale before the National Assembly's Health committee to consider Budget Estimates FY 2025/26 at Parliament buildings on May 14, 2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Kenya Moja Movement leaders have vowed to push for the removal of Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale for presiding over corruption at the Social Health Authority (SHA). Led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, the legislators said that the rot in the health insurance programme had undermined public trust and denied Kenyans access to quality healthcare. Speaking during a rally in Funyula Constituency on Sunday, the leaders announced plans to table an impeachment motion against Duale once Parliament resumes next week. They argued that the CS had lost the moral authority to continue serving in the Ministry of Health. "The corruption at SHA is unacceptable. Billions of shillings meant to protect poor households from catastrophic health expenses are being looted under his watch. He must go," Sifuna declared. He added that Kenya Moja would mobilise other MPs across the political divide to support the motion. Other MPs were Gathoni Wamuchomba (Githunguri), Saboti MP Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Babu Owino (Embakasi), MP Barongo Obadia (Bomachoge) and Oundoh Mudenyo (Funyula). Wamuchomba said Kenyans were weary of grand corruption scandals that compromise essential services. "We cannot sit back and watch public funds disappear while hospitals remain under-equipped and patients suffer. Duale must carry his own cross," she charged. The Kenya Moja lawmakers also took a swipe at President William Ruto's administration, claiming it had inflicted unbearable hardships on citizens through high taxation, escalating food prices, and deteriorating public services. They warned that the Kenya Kwanza government would not survive beyond one term. "Despite the handshake between Ruto and Raila Odinga, Kenyans are suffering. Come August 2027, this administration will be sent home for betraying the trust of the people," the MPs said in the rally. Owino accused the government of hypocrisy, saying it had promised to fight corruption but was instead shielding top officials implicated in scandals. "We cannot allow Kenyans to continue dying because resources are being stolen by a few individuals in power," he said. Amisi dismissed claims that Kenya Moja was merely a "third force" in Kenyan politics, insisting it was a formidable movement that would be on the ballot in 2027. "Kenya Moja is not a sideshow. It is the future of leadership in this country. We are determined to take power from William Ruto and return dignity to Kenyans," he said. The SHA, launched to replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), was billed as a flagship programme under the Kenya Kwanza government, meant to provide affordable health coverage for all Kenyans. However, recent revelations of financial improprieties and procurement scandals have raised questions about its credibility. The Kenya Moja MPs now want accountability at the highest level, starting with the removal of the CS. Adding to the growing calls for accountability, Kakamega Senator and Senate Majority Chief Whip Boni Khalwale separately urged President William Ruto to sack Duale, SHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mercy Mwangangi, and SHA Board Chairperson Abdi Mohamed. Khalwale accused the trio of overseeing the loss of Sh24 billion meant for the health programme under the new insurance scheme. "The fall of St. Mary's Mumias Mission Hospital and other facilities across the country, not to mention the pain ordinary Kenyans face in seeking health services, can be traced back to their mismanagement. They must all go," Khalwale said. Khalwale said the scandal had not only drained resources but also crippled the delivery of health services across the country. He cited the collapse of St Mary's Mumias Mission Hospital as a direct example of how mismanagement and corruption in the health sector are destroying lifeline institutions that once served millions. The outspoken senator, popularly known as the bullfighter, warned that unless those implicated were held to account, Kenya risked sliding back into a healthcare crisis where only the wealthy could access decent treatment while ordinary citizens languished in understaffed and ill-equipped public hospitals. He further challenged President Ruto to prove his administration's commitment to fighting corruption by cracking the whip on senior officials, noting that selective justice would only deepen public mistrust. "If we are serious about accountability, we must start from the top. The president must act now; otherwise, Kenyans will conclude that this government is protecting thieves," Khalwale asserted.

'He must go!': Why MPs want to kick out Duale

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