Duale: No amount of intimidation will distract me
By Cynthia Lodite, August 27, 2025Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale has slammed critics accusing him of misappropriation of funds in the ongoing Social Health Insurance (SHA) corruption scandal.
Duale made his remarks on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, on his official X account while affirming that no amount of intimidation from any quarter, including the political class, will distract him.
“As a Cabinet Secretary, my duty under the constitution is to protect public resources. No amount of intimidation from any quarter, including the political class, will distract me and the team I lead in the full implementation of the Taifa Care,” Duale said.
The Health CS’s response comes amid growing criticism from legislators and civil society over alleged misuse of SHA funds, including claims of payments to ghost health facilities.
On his part, Duale assured Kenyans that accountability remains a top priority at the Ministry of Health.
Ruto defends Duale
Meanwhile, Duale’s remarks follow President William Ruto’s recent remarks rejecting claims that SHA paid ghost hospitals in its latest disbursements.
Speaking at the State House on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, where he met with a section of Kiambu grassroots leaders, Ruto insisted that the ongoing digitisation of the health fund is specifically designed to unmask and stop fraud in the sector.
On his part, the Head of State defended the SHA platform, noting that it is already detecting irregularities that plagued the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“The digitisation process of SHA is what is enabling us to detect all the fraudulent claims, all ghost hospitals. Ile wizi iliangusha NHIF mpaka kukakua na madeni ya mabilioni therathini, haiwezi ikafanyika kwa SHA. We will make sure the digital system will detect all fraudulent claims, ghost hospitals, and ghost patients that are attempting to engage in fraud,” Ruto said.
According to him, the digital safeguards being put in place mark a radical departure from NHIF’s poor record, which saw ballooning debts and widespread public mistrust.
In addition, Ruto further revealed that his administration had already shut down a significant number of questionable facilities and would not hesitate to prosecute those found culpable.