A visit to any public hospital today reveals a grim reality: patients lying on floors, mothers sharing maternity beds, and doctors forced to improvise due to insufficient medical supplies. Kenyans are dying, not because their conditions are untreatable, but because the government appears to prioritize luxury over life-saving interventions
At a time when millions of Kenyans can barely access basic healthcare, top officials in the Ministry of Health are requesting millions of shillings from the treasury for foreign trips and legal fees. This shocking revelation came from Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai, who stunned MPs by disclosing that, over the next three months, the department requires about Sh500 million for legal costs and foreign travel for himself and Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa—a move that lays bare the government’s apparent disregard for the plight of ordinary citizens.
While hospitals across the country grapple with chronic drug shortages, understaffed wards, and crumbling infrastructure, CS Deborah Barasa and her PS are seeking Ksh350 million for travel, purportedly for East African Community (EAC) meetings. This request stands in stark contrast to President William Ruto’s directive suspending non-essential travel for state officers, rendering the demand not only extravagant but seemingly defiant.
A visit to any public hospital today reveals a grim reality: patients lying on floors, mothers sharing maternity beds, and doctors forced to improvise due to insufficient medical supplies. Kenyans are dying—not because their conditions are untreatable, but because the government appears to prioritize luxury over life-saving interventions.
Instead of addressing this crisis, the Ministry is now requesting an additional Ksh6 billion, despite little evidence of progress from previous allocations. Where has all the money gone? Adding insult to injury, the Ministry is also seeking Ksh142.2 million for legal fees—funds intended to fight court rulings aimed at protecting Kenyans from controversial healthcare laws. Rather than addressing public concerns over the Social Health Insurance Act, officials seem more focused on hiring expensive lawyers to mute citizens’ voices.
Worse still, taxpayers are being asked to foot a Ksh64 million bill for undelivered COVID-19 vaccines—a deal so questionable that the manufacturer destroyed the doses, yet Kenya is still obligated to pay.
The Ministry’s top brass seem to operate in a bubble of privilege, far removed from the struggles of ordinary Kenyans. The funds they demand could equip hospitals with medicine, hire more doctors, or repair dilapidated facilities, yet they prioritize globetrotting and courtroom battles that offer no tangible benefit to the public.
This level of waste and misplaced priorities is unacceptable. Until these leaders curb their excesses and focus on improving healthcare services, Kenyans will continue to suffer in silence, dying in overcrowded hospitals while their leaders enjoy lavish trips abroad.
