Patrick Amoth, the nominee for Director General of Health, yesterday fought off claims that he was an agent of powerful forces in the vaccine industry and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Amoth rejected claims that he supports the killing of unborn children, describing the allegations as farfetched.

Appearing before a joint parliamentary committee vetting his suitability for the office, Amoth dismissed claims by a petitioner identified as Wahome Ngare, who said that in May 2023, Amoth, without the knowledge of then Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, attempted to launch guidelines that provided for what is called a medical uterine evacuation procedure, illegally sanctioning the killing of unborn children up to 28 weeks old for risky or unintended pregnancies.

‘Actions documented’

Ngare, a gynecologist, said the guidelines would have been contrary to Article 26 (4) of the Constitution and Section 6 (2) of the Health Act, (Cap. 241).

The petitioner also alleged that Amoth strongly pushed for the agenda, but it was stopped with the help of the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association and bishops.

“[Amoth] was in the process of approving guidelines for termination, which is against … Kenyan law,” Ngare told the committee.

The doctor also claimed that Amoth cannot run away from his actions as they were documented and reported widely.

“It is against medical ethics. If a woman comes to me saying she is pregnant, medical ethics require me to take history and come up with a diagnosis,” he explained. 

“The treatment will deal with a social crisis the woman goes through and not termination of pregnancy.”

According to Ngare, abortion has been misconstrued to be a medical word when it is an English word that means ending a pregnancy.

National interests

Ngare hit at Amoth, saying he lacks the courage and an independent mind to protect the interests of Kenyans against the influence of international bodies such as WHO.

“Having worked as the chairperson of WHO, Amoth poses a security risk and also threatens national interests in favour of those of his former employer,” Ngare claimed.

In response, Amoth, who has been acting DG for over four years, denied allegations that he supports abortion.

He said the issue of maternal health guidelines was not his personal decision but a collective one involving many people in the ministry.

“I did not mislead the ministry as alleged; it was a shared position by the top experts in the ministry,” Amoth told the committee.

On claims by Ngare that the Corvid-19 pandemic was mismanaged, Amoth said it the respiratory disease challenged Kenya as much as other countries around the world.

“I take these allegations with pain in my heart. It was a wanting condition not only in Kenya but globally, faced with a virus, faced with everyone but mostly elderly yet we never had ways and means to handle it,” Amoth said.

He added: “It was teamwork. I was the face behind the technical lead team who channelled information, critically analysing information strictly guided by science not anything else. I believe we did our best … to save lives.”

When Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Kenya, he said, he was among the first people to be vaccinated notwithstanding the fears that had been reported.

“Leadership needs tough decisions to be made. Regarding vaccine efficacy … I believe it is okay with members to justify the benefits versus risks posed. Based on information we had, [the] few benefits outweighed risks,” Amoth told the committee.

He continued: “In terms of vaccination, we enhance immunity so that people vaccinated protect those unvaccinated. This is the model used for vaccines since the 1970s.”