A simmering row is brewing within
President William Ruto’s government, days after his deal with ODM
boss Raila Odinga, amid indications
that a major overhaul is in the works.
MPs from National Assembly
Speaker Moses Wetang’ula’s Bungoma backyard yesterday accused top
officials within the Kenya Kwanza
administration, including a sitting
Cabinet Secretary of undermining
Health CS Deborah Barasa.
MPs John Waluke (Sirisia), John
Chikati (Tongaren), Wanami Wamboka (Bumula), Martin Wanyonyi
(Webuye East) and Majimbo Kalasinga (Kabuchai) vowed to name and
shame those involved in the scheme.
Apart from the CS, whom they declined to name, the MPs also accused
the docket’s Principal Secretaries of
being part of the plot to undermine
Barasa — a medical doctor by profession — who ascended to the top
job hardly eight months ago.
Health ministry has two PSs –
Harry Kimtai (Medical Services)
and Mary Muthoni (Public Health).
Neither Kimtai nor Muthoni responded to our phone calls or text messages when we reached out to
them at 4pm for a rejoinder.
The claims could have been triggered by jitters over impending
changes at the apex of the Executive,
amid indications that Barasa could
be amongst the casualties.
President Ruto is expected to
make sweeping changes in his government to reflect the new political
realities, after his deal with Raila.
However, the grumbling could
be a pointer to bigger problems in
government.
It is widely held that Barasa was
fronted for appointment by the Ford
Kenya wing of Kenya Kwanza led
by Wetang’ula.
It is unclear why the CS’s alleged
woes cannot be resolved internally.
The Star exclusively reported last
week of expected changes in the Agriculture, Health and Water ministries.
According to the five MPs, the plan
is to paint Barasa as incompetent and
leave her exposed - at a time talks
of reshuffle in the Cabinet are rife.
“It is funny that a Minister can
make an appointment and a PS revokes the appointment. Where has
it ever happened? We are not aware.
She can’t even appoint a person,” Kalasinga said.
PS Kimtai had on December 20,
2024, issued an internal memo to
the Acting Deputy Director General
formally authorising the deployment
of Andrew Mulwa to NASCOP.
However, the appointment was
revoked by Barasa.
But the PS eventually prevailed
and made another appointment.
That was the starting point of
Barasa’s woes, Kalasinga said, but is being escalated now as there are
speculations of changes.
“We know these people and we
shall soon be revealing their names
should they continue doing this. We
are telling these people to the leave
the minister alone as she is capable of
handling the ministry,” Chikati said.
The CS linked to the smear campaign – according to the Waluke –
had once served in the docket and recently made a comeback in the
broad-based Cabinet.
“We know what is going on in
the Ministry of Health. We are going to name them. It is clear that
the cartels behind this move have
stolen money (under the National
Health Insurance Fund) and that is
why they are doing all these,” the
Sirisia MP claimed.
“Kenya is for all of us, some are
lucky they were appointed CS. You
are lucky you were appointed recently and you didn’t even work to
have this government in place. You
do your job and stop fighting Barasa.”
Waluke added, “The monies were
stolen in NHIF and that’s why the
cartels are complaining that SHA
is not working, I want to say it is
working because even in the villages
we can see.”
The end game, they said, is to discredit CS Barasa and have her kicked
out from the helm of the ministry, to
allow the cartels get back to their
old ways.
The CS has been at the center of
public anger over the alleged malfunctioning of the Social Health Authority the successor of NHIF.
Barasa’s slot is regarded as Ford
Kenya’s slot, according to a pre-election deal signed by Kenya Kwanza
affiliate parties.
“We cannot allow you to frustrate
a minister like that to the extent that
she cannot work. This Kenya Kwanza government, we formed it and we
fought for it. We are saying that if
this decision is as a result of broadbased government, we are not going
to allow this happen,” Kalasinga said.
“I have seen people fighting this
lady. In Luhya, we don’t fight women.
We are warning leaders to desist from
fighting this lady and allow her to
do her job.”
