Sifuna blasts Duale for humiliating Kakamega bishop
By Faith Lagat, September 5, 2025Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has sharply criticised Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, accusing him of humiliating Kakamega Catholic Bishop Joseph Obanyi in the ongoing Social Health Authority (SHA) funding crisis.
His remarks came during the burial of former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel, where political and religious tensions collided with Kenya’s health sector woes.
‘Tuheshimiane’ call
Sifuna said Catholics were outraged after watching Duale publicly reprimand Bishop Obanyi, who had sought answers on delayed payments affecting St. Mary’s Hospital in Mumias.
“We cannot allow others to victimise our Catholic church,” Sifuna declared.
“We as Catholics tumekerwa sana when we saw CS akisimamisha yule askofu wa Kakamega parading him like a child na kumsomea because he only took a step to ask on matters SHA and St. Mary’s Hospital Mumias. We are telling Duale tuheshimiane bwana, kila mtu aheshimu kanisa ya mwengine.”
The senator, who doubles as ODM’s Secretary-General, stressed that political disagreements should never spill over into disrespect for faith leaders.
Raila demands probe
The event also turned sombre as ODM leader Raila Odinga paid tribute to Lempurkel, who died in a road accident in Ongata Rongai. Raila remembered him as a tireless advocate for Maa rights and a loyal party man. “The person responsible for the accident that killed Lempurkel must be arrested so that proper investigations are conducted on the circumstances of the accident,” Raila said, urging police to speed up inquiries.
Mourners described Lempurkel as a leader who spoke truth to power, and his death was marked as a significant loss to his community and the wider political family.
Salasya on Duale
Meanwhile, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya piled further pressure on Duale over the SHA crisis. In a strongly worded post on X dated September 4, 2025, Salasya accused the government of starving St. Mary’s Hospital and other mission facilities of funds. “Our people will not be referred to Nairobi while doctors sit idle because of politics,” he warned.
He demanded immediate settlement of Ksh37 million owed to the hospital and clearance of a Ksh143 million NHIF debt, warning against “milking a cow for years and abandoning it when it grows weak.” He instructed hospital management to ensure specialists return once operations resume.