Ministry of Health’s Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai has said that charges against Grace Mulei, the woman who stormed the Ministry of Health headquarters and complained over delays in the processing of Social Health Authority (SHA) services, will be withdrawn.
Speaking during the Members of Parliament’s retreat in Naivasha on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Kimtai who was put on the spot by the MPs said the case would be withdrawn.
“In the interest of the image of the Ministry of Health and the public, the Ministry will withdraw the complaint,” PS Kimtai assured the lawmakers.
Mulei’s arrest, which followed her participation in a protest with other patients from Kenyatta National Hospital who entered the Ministry’s boardroom during a press conference by Health CS Deborah Mulongo, sparked widespread condemnation.
Grace Mulei
The Ministry was put on its defence when the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah questioned who the complainants in the case had been and what crime Mulei had committed in the first place.
In response, PS Kimtai revealed that the Ministry of Health was the complainant in the case, which sparked widespread condemnation from various Kenyan leaders and civil societies.
“Kenyans want to know who was the complainant in the case against the lady. Was it the ministry that was the aggrieved party, or was it SHA?” Ichung’wah asked.
Ministry put on defence
The conversation took a different turn when the speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula waded into the discussion, wondering why Mulei was in court yet no one was injured during the confrontation.
“The Ministry of Health being a public place, you cannot talk of trespass,” Wetang’ula said.
“I will give you free advice now that you have admitted that the Ministry of Health is the complainant in the case against Mulei. Please consider reviewing it and withdrawing the complaint.”
Equally, the MPs observed that the communication channels for SHA were unsatisfactory, stating that all their statements were made by the Ministry of Health officials.
“You are not communicating with Kenyans unless those from the Ministry speak,” he noted, highlighting a growing disconnect between SHA and the public,” Ichung’wah noted.
“When we enacted laws for SHA, we never envisioned that the PS or the Ministry would superintend over the authority. You must show us that you have the capacity to manage this institution,” he added.
