CS Aden Duale Reaffirms Government’s Commitment to Strengthening Primary Healthcare Under SHA

 

 Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to bolstering Kenya’s primary healthcare system through enhanced accountability, protection of public health resources, and timely support for frontline workers under the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Speaking at the launch of the Measles-Rubella and Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine Campaign at Githogoro Grounds in Nairobi, CS Duale praised the role of Community Health Promoters (CHPs), revealing that they have already reached over 80,000 households during the early phase of the SHA rollout. He assured CHPs that the government is fully committed to paying their stipends on time, recognizing them as critical first responders in Kenya’s healthcare system. “CHPs are the heart of our health system, and we will honour their work with timely payments,” he stated.

Duale emphasized that under the SHA framework, primary healthcare services—including those offered at dispensaries, health centres, and sub-county hospitals—are fully free for registered members. He urged the public to report any instances of malpractice, denial of service, or fraudulent activity by dialing the toll-free number *147#. “If you go to a registered facility and are asked to pay for primary care services, report immediately. We will act,” he warned.

To improve affordability, the government has also introduced the SHA Lipa Pole Pole initiative—a flexible payment model that allows Kenyans to contribute gradually to the health scheme. CS Duale announced that the government has allocated KSh 13 billion to support universal access to care, ensuring that no Kenyan is denied treatment at public facilities due to financial constraints.

In a strong stance against healthcare fraud, the Cabinet Secretary disclosed that the Ministry of Health has shut down 1,400 private hospitals found guilty of malpractice, fraudulent billing, and submitting illegal claims under the SHA. He cited an alarming case involving a private facility owned by a sitting Member of Parliament that had allegedly filed more surgery claims than Kenyatta National Hospital. “We have hospitals claiming to do more surgeries than KNH. We shut down one yesterday. If we find you defrauding Kenyans, your licence will be cancelled. I don’t care who owns the facility,” he said.

CS Duale stressed that both public and private health facilities must uphold integrity within the national insurance system. “Even if we are left with 20 hospitals, but they are honest, we are better off than having 2,000 with corruption,” he declared.