Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced that most private hospitals operating in residential areas will be shut down once the Social Health Authority (SHA) is fully implemented.
Mr Duale revealed that 60 percent of these clinics will be closed, claiming that they were set up through fraudulent dealings under the now defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which has been replaced by the Social Health Authority (SHA).
"The day SHA takes root, 60 percent of the many clinics you see in estates will close. Most hospitals that you thought were doing good work were actually opened due to fraud within NHIF," he said.
He was speaking at the opening session of the sub-regional capacity building workshop in Nairobi on Friday.
Mr Duale vowed to break up cartels in the health sector, claiming that those opposing the SHA were part of these networks.
"Every night I watch the news and the common topic is the Sh30 billion NHIF bill. Do not listen to propaganda; those who are fighting SHA are the cartels," he added.
Mr Duale took over from Deborah Barasa, who has been reassigned to the Ministry of Environment, at a time when the health sector is facing many challenges.
Kenya's health sector continues to face major hurdles, including inadequate funding, shortages of essential medical supplies and poor infrastructure.
Frequent strikes by health workers over unfulfilled government promises and concerns over the implementation of the SHA have further strained the system.
In his acceptance speech on March 26, Mr Duale pledged to reform the sector and work towards achieving President William Ruto's Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
"In my new role, I remain committed to working with relevant stakeholders to drive government policies that strengthen healthcare delivery, ensuring accessible and quality services for all Kenyans," he stated.
He emphasised that a key priority would be advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to ensure equitable healthcare access, particularly for the vulnerable.
