Nyaribo fires back at Duale over collapsed healthcare claims

Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo toured the County Referral Hospital on April 23, 2026 where he inspected ongoing treatment and diagnostic services. [Stanley Ongwae, Standard]

The County Government of Nyamira has slammed Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale for misleading the Senate by reporting that the devolved unit’s healthcare systems had collapsed.

Governor Amos Nyaribo, through his Press Secretary Robert Laban accused Duale of blackmailing him over his purported failure to fully subscribe to the National Equipment Support Program (NESP), a National Government initiative that is meant to aid county governments to access medical equipment under indirect payment scheme.

Duale was responding to Senators over the state of healthcare services in the country when Nyamira Senator Okong’o Mogeni inquired about the alleged collapse of the devolved government’s healthcare systems.

Duale told senators that Nyamira was a collapsed county besides three others which he did not mention because of their failure to sign for the procurement plan of medical equipment which he said were key in improvement of services in the county’s facilities.

While responding to Senator Omogeni’s question, Duale said:

“I didn’t want to say this but I have to say it. Health in Nyamira has collapsed. And it has collapsed because of your governor. He is not able to make a request (to NESP) and if he makes it we will go and launch the equipment in Nyamira. I think its morally wrong for you to be a leader of Nyamira and you allow the most critical sector to collapse because of your leadership. Even the primary healthcare facilities, dispensaries and healthcare centers, services are free. Government is paying for and If he does well in the equipment, the revenue from the health sector will be the highest,” Duale told the senators.

In a hard-hitting statement, Governor Nyaribo said Duale was simply blackmailing governors  who had not fully subscribed to NESP and wondered why he would do so when most of the diagnostic machines were available at the county facilities.

“Our county Government cannot be deemed as collapsed just because we have not signed to the NESP-acquired machines. The County has three CT Scan machines, X-rays, a mammogram machine and best diagnostic machines. Why would Duale want us to add other machines?” Nyaribo asked.

The Governor said the NESP scheme was not a transparent system of acquiring machines for public healthcare facilities especially since the mode of payment was not reflective of realities on mutual benefit.

“Duale expects that Nyamira buys a machine and the county will only be earning 20 per cent of the charges on the machines. This means that if the cost of a CT scan is 6,500, the National Government will take away Sh5,300 and leave Sh1,200 to the county and yet, the county will have to pay the professionals running the machine, pay electricity, pay for water and attached costs. Is this realistic?” Nyaribo asked.

The County Chief assured the residents that services at all facilities were going on well and urged them to dismiss the claims which he said were not in good faith.