By Hilda Atika
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has directly refuted rumors of St Mary’s Hospital in Mumias being shut down, confirming it remains open and attributing closure claims to misinformation. Speaking at the Kakamega County Headquarters alongside Governor Fernandes Barasa and Catholic Bishop Joseph Obanyi, the hospital’s sponsor, Mr Duale clarified that the facility remains operational and fully licensed.
He explained that services had been disrupted by a strike of healthcare workers over three months of unpaid salaries, not by regulatory action. This context set the stage for discussing the hospital’s ongoing operations. “St Mary’s Hospital has all the valid licences from relevant agencies. It has not been closed by any authority. What we are addressing are salary arrears that led to the workers’ strike,” the CS stated.
Building on his clarification, Mr Duale noted that the Social Health Authority (SHA) has disbursed Sh98 million to the hospital between December 2024 and August 2025. However, a balance of Sh35 million remains pending. Bishop Obanyi expressed optimism that the government would clear the arrears, enabling the hospital to resume full operations.
Through negotiations held in the governor’s office, it was agreed that Sh14 million will be released to the hospital next week, allowing staff to return to work and normal services to resume. The Health CS cautioned politicians against exploiting the hospital’s challenges for political mileage, particularly during funerals.
“I tell you from Kakamega this weekend, you had better look for something else. St Mary’s is not available for political games, we have resolved the matter,” he warned. Mr. Duale assured residents of Mumias and beyond that the government remains committed to delivering affordable, quality healthcare nationwide.
During the briefing, the CS also defended the government’s decision to close the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), terming it a “den of corruption” where patients’ money was routinely looted.
He revealed that 92% of NHIF’s pending bills, amounting to Sh5.3 billion, fall between Sh1 million and Sh10 million. These, he said, would be cleared within the next two months, in line with President William Ruto’s directive, once Treasury introduces a supplementary budget.
“Any claim above Sh10 million will undergo verification by an independent team outside the Ministry of Health,” Mr Duale affirmed. Governor Barasa welcomed the resolutions, describing the day as significant for Kakamega in rolling out SHA registration and advancing Universal Health Coverage.
He disclosed that county health facilities have accumulated SHA-related pending bills amounting to Sh293 million. The SHA team confirmed that Sh100 million will be disbursed on 14th September towards pending bills for level five facilities, with further analysis pending for level four and level two hospitals.
