Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has defended the government’s recent empowerment initiatives, dismissing critics who have questioned the source of money used in the programs.

Speaking in Narok County on Saturday, August 30, 2025, Duale insisted that empowerment programs are a fulfilment of campaign pledges and should be viewed as a continuation of the government’s development agenda.

“You see, this empowerment it is something that the government promised when we were seeking votes,” he stated.

Source of funds

In his defence, the CS took a confrontational stance toward those questioning the funding mechanisms, telling critics that they should demonstrate their own economic capabilities before questioning government funding sources.

“And if you don’t have money, don’t ask us where we get it,” he remarked.

“Someone may have land, another may have a butchery, and I have my camels—I will give from there,” he added.

Empowerment controversy

His remarks come weeks after Retired Chief Justice David Maraga criticised the government’s nationwide empowerment programmes as a tactic to distract Kenyans from the dysfunction within the current administration.

Speaking during a town hall meeting in Kirinyaga County on Friday, August 1, 2025, Maraga commented that the money distributed to the public under the guise of empowerment is insufficient and unsustainable.

“What is this empowerment you’re talking about? Are you being given just one thousand shillings? How long will that last?” he questioned.

Maraga urged members of the public to investigate the sources of empowerment funds before accepting them.

“You should first ask yourself where the money is coming from before you receive it. These are proceeds of corruption that have been taken from you and repackaged as empowerment by those who have wronged you,” he said.

“They come back to give you handouts from the stolen money to make you believe they have your best interests at heart,” he added.