Malala slams Ruto for retaining Duale after SHA loss while petroleum PS resigns
By Kenneth Mwenda, April 4, 2026DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala has called on Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to resign, citing the Ksh11 billion lost in fraudulent Social Health Authority (SHA) claims under his watch.
Malala made the remarks on Saturday, April 4, 2026, while speaking at a rally in Ruiru.
“Huyu Kasongo ameiba pesa zote. Nimeona amesema yule PS wa mafuta aresign. Tungependa kuambia Kasongo, kama unasema PS wa mafuta aresign, pia ambia Aden Duale pia yeye aende nyumbani,” Malala said. He was accompanied by DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua and other party officials.
Malala’s comments come in the wake of widespread scrutiny of the Ministry of Health, which lost Ksh11 billion in just six months between October 2024 and April 2025 due to systematic fraud in the SHA system. Investigations revealed that medical facilities, with the help of SHA personnel, submitted fictitious claims, often forcing expectant mothers into unnecessary caesarean sections to inflate insurance payouts.
Health CS Aden Duale, however, resisted calls to step down. In multiple statements, he defended the integrity of the SHA system, arguing that fraud detection mechanisms had already blocked suspicious payouts before money left the system.
“Why should I resign? I don’t need to resign. If I commit anything contrary to my oath of office, there are various ways of dealing with me… the criminal justice system dealing with me if I have integrity issues,” Duale said in January during an interview.
Duale is also involved in a separate dispute with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has accused him of holding shares in a company linked to SHA contracts. Duale dismissed the claims, saying Gachagua has failed to provide evidence and has resorted to ethnic profiling.
He challenged Gachagua to produce a CR12 document from the Business Registration Service to prove ownership, insisting the refusal raises questions about the validity of the accusations. He also defended the SHA tender process, describing it as transparent and conducted on merit, while rejecting suggestions of proxy ownership in related firms.
Petroleum sector sparks outcry
The call for Duale’s resignation comes against the backdrop of the recent petroleum sector scandal. President William Ruto’s administration faced criticism after Petroleum PS Mohamed Liban, KPC Managing Director Joe Sang, and EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo resigned following claims of overpriced and possibly substandard fuel imports.
Gachagua, who accompanied Malala at the rally, had previously stated that the arrests of petroleum sector officials were not about wrongdoing but rather about competition with Ruto’s Government-to-Government (G-to-G) fuel arrangements. He explained that the G-to-G framework, introduced when Ruto came into government, is meant to channel government fuel purchases to certain companies under fixed agreements.
Opposition figures have also highlighted public frustration with fraud in essential services. Ndindi Nyoro, Kiharu MP described the fraud as a symptom of broader governance issues.
“The bigger mistake they did was to usurp the G-to-G arrangement… and tried to take business away from the architects of G-to-G,” Nyoro said.