Duale accuses MPs of blackmail over calls to resign, says some own flagged SHA facilities

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale says some members of parliament own health facilities flagged in the recent Social Health Authority (SHA) payment claims saga.

Responding to lawmakers calling for his censure, Duale accused them of blackmail and attempts to derail the fight against corruption in the health sector.

Lawmakers under Kenya Moja, speaking in parliament earlier Wednesday, demanded that Duale take responsibility for payments made to non-existent hospitals.

The lawmakers have accused Duale, the SHA leadership, and influential figures from State House of being behind the alleged fraud at the authority.

Led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, the MPs issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Duale to resign or face a censure motion.

They cited alleged fraud involving billions of shillings at the Social Health Authority as the main reason for their push to oust him.

But CS Duale fired back, accusing some lawmakers of owning health facilities flagged for fraud.

In a statement from Afya House, Duale said, “To weed out deep-rooted fraud within our health insurances, we urge all Kenyans to allow us to clean up, prosecute and surcharge those found culpable without interference from anybody or any office, including my former colleagues, some of whom own facilities that have been flagged through our system.”

The lawmakers accused Duale of conflict of interest, provoking the Health CS to challenge them to produce a CR12 showing his ownership or directorship in any facility.

Duale said he is ready to appear before any parliamentary committee or oversight body to account for every asset he owns.

“My career in public service spans over 20 years, a significant portion of which was spent in the corridors of Parliament in various leadership roles. My record on integrity and declaration of assets is a matter of public record, detailed in the Hansard from my vetting process,” he noted.

“I challenge any individual to present a CR12 document from the Registrar of Companies that shows my ownership or directorship in the company alleged. I have none. I am ready and willing to present myself before any parliamentary committee or oversight body to account for every asset I own.”

The Sifuna-led team questioned the cost of the new digital system, which the Health Ministry said had been debated and approved by the National Assembly.

According to Duale, allegations about the cost of the Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (IHITS) are based on misunderstandings and deliberate misrepresentations of facts.

“In contrast, the SHA ICT System is a component of IHITS and specifically handles health finance and insurance services. This system is required by law to have a minimum enterprise resource planning (ERP) functionality to manage all of the SHA's processes and services,” Duale stated.

Duale described the concerns raised by MPs, including questions about SHA boss Dr. Abdi Mohamed, as a witch-hunt reeking of ethnic profiling.