Duale: African ministers visiting Kenya to learn health reforms despite critics
By Mustafa Juma, January 29, 2026Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has defended Kenya’s ongoing health sector reforms, highlighting that ministers from other African countries are visiting Kenya to learn from the country’s success story, despite criticism from political opponents.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Duale said officials from Ghana and Zambia are coming to Kenya to study the reforms and strategies being implemented in the health sector, which he described as a model for other nations on the continent.
“Ministers from Ghana and Zambia are coming to learn. WHO is telling other African leaders to go to Kenya and learn their success story,” Duale said.
Duale dismisses critics
The CS dismissed opposition voices as being politically motivated, arguing that the criticism is primarily aimed at President William Ruto personally rather than the substance of the reforms.
“Those who are opposing are the normal characters who want to oppose William Ruto because he is called William Ruto; the name Ruto disturbs them,” Duale said.
He also clarified that while he is not a “Mr. Fix-It”, his role is to implement systemic reforms within the health sector, which he insists are essential to improving service delivery for Kenyans.
“I am not Mr Fix-It; I am one person who believes in reforms. We are reforming the health sector,” he added.
SHA scandal
However, his remarks came hours after it emerged that Ksh11 billion had been lost in the Social Health Authority (SHA) system.
Duale has argued that the lost funds resulted from widespread fraudulent claims by hospitals, with the AI-driven platform flagging manipulated medical records and inflated billing.
Speaking on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, during the 2026 Legislative Retreat for Members of the National Assembly in Nakuru, Duale said the bulk of the rejected claims involved impossible medical scenarios, including private hospitals reporting 100 per cent C-section deliveries, well above World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations.
He stressed that digitisation is a powerful tool against corruption.
“The era of manual claims allowed theft to thrive. That is why the Ksh11 billion lost between October, when SHA was launched, and April, when I took over, was rejected. Facilities were stealing because they were used to stealing from NHIF,” he said.