Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has insisted that he will not resign over the issues surrounding the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Mr Duale also dismissed calls for his impeachment by some politicians, claiming they lacked the grounds to oust him.
“Grounds for the impeachment of a Cabinet Secretary are in the Constitution, which I have not violated. I have blocked the loopholes they used to steal public resources, and this has made them bitter. But we shall not be intimidated,” said Mr Duale.
Lawmakers under the banner Kenya Moja earlier this week demanded that Mr Duale resign over what they termed as the SHA fraud.
“Where money flows, fraudsters follow. Health facilities have been colluding with these cartels to steal from the sick. With the introduction of the Afya application, which allows users to monitor their profiles, and the new digital health system, cartels can no longer enrich themselves at the expense of patients,” he added.
In Kakamega, Mr Duale denied owning any company that provides services to SHA, challenging the politicians, led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, to provide proof of their claims.
“I am ready to appear before any investigating body to account for and defend all my assets,” he said.
Mr Duale announced that the government is in the process of paying off all debts owed by the defunct NHIF scheme to individuals and healthcare providers, with a total of Sh30 billion committed to settle the outstanding amounts.
Speaking in Kakamega during the rollout of the Taifa-Care Activation in the county, the CS said a total of Sh5.3 billion is owed to individuals, with pending bills below Sh10 million accounting for 92 percent of NHIF’s total arrears.
“We are waiting for the Treasury to introduce the supplementary budget that will allow the Ministry of Health to access the required funds,” said Mr Duale.
He explained that pending bills of more than Sh10 million will be subjected to verification by a team appointed by the Ministry of Health before payment is authorised.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa acknowledged that hospitals in the county had already started receiving disbursements from SHA. He, however, urged the ministry to fast-track the process to ensure uninterrupted delivery of healthcare services.
“In Kakamega, with over 1.9 million people, we have registered more than 800,000 on SHA. But the pending bills amounting to Sh293 million under SHA are critical,” said Mr Barasa.
The Governor said Sh72 million is owed to level 2 and 3 health facilities in the county, Sh55 million to level 4 hospitals, while the county general hospital is owed Sh156 million.
CS Duale said Sh100 million will be disbursed to Kakamega County as part of the down payment for pending bills.
