NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 30 \u2013 National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung\u2019wah has condemned the Ministry of Health and the Social Health Authority (SHA) over the controversial arrest of Grace Mulei, a woman who stormed the Ministry\u2019s boardroom to protest systemic failures within SHA. <\/p>\n
Ichung\u2019wah, in a heated session with Ministry officials, demanded answers on the circumstances of Mulei\u2019s arrest and criticized SHA for its poor communication with the public.<\/p>\n
Mulei\u2019s arrest ignited public backlash after being detained for allegedly causing a disturbance while seeking answers on SHA\u2019s malfunctioning systems, leading to delays and frustrations for Kenyans accessing healthcare services. <\/p>\n
Released on a Sh50,000 police bond, her detention raised questions about the Ministry\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n
Ichung\u2019wah pressed officials to clarify who initiated the complaint that led to Mulei\u2019s arrest. <\/p>\n
\u201cWas it SHA, the Ministry, or the police acting on their own volition?\u201d he questioned. <\/p>\n
He also challenged the Ministry to state whether it had withdrawn the complaint, emphasizing that the arrest was an unnecessary overreaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are the complainant, have you withdrawn the complaint? Or is there something criminal you are pursuing against this lady?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n
The Majority Leader further called out the Ministry\u2019s security measures, arguing that officials should have dealt with the security personnel who allowed the situation to escalate rather than detaining Mulei.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I were you, the first person I would have charged or even fired was the security officer at the Ministry,\u201d Ichung\u2019wah said. \u201cOtherwise, you are making a mountain out of a molehill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the arrest, Ichung\u2019wah launched a scathing critique of SHA\u2019s failure to effectively communicate with the public. <\/p>\n
He questioned whether SHA had allocated a budget for communication, marketing, or public engagement, accusing it of relying on the Ministry for public messaging.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not communicating with Kenyans unless those from the Ministry speak,\u201d he noted, highlighting a growing disconnect between SHA and the public.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Members of Parliament had taken it upon themselves to mobilize Kenyans to register for SHA services, underscoring the authority\u2019s inefficiency. <\/p>\n
\u201cSHA, these MPs are trying on their own volition to mobilize Kenyans to register. What are your challenges?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Ichung\u2019wah also stressed that SHA was established as a semi-autonomous body and should not depend on the Ministry to handle its communications. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we enacted laws for SHA, we never envisioned that the PS or the Ministry would superintend over the authority. You must show us that you have the capacity to manage this institution,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n
The Majority Leader urged SHA to take full responsibility for its communication failures and to utilize vernacular media to reach a broader audience. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs you put adverts on TV stations, why not use vernacular stations to ensure Kenyans understand the message?\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n
He called for urgent reforms to address the systemic issues plaguing the authority, warning that if SHA proves incapable of managing its mandate, alternative measures would be considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are not able, say so, and then the Ministry, the government, or we ourselves can take necessary action,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 30 \u2013 National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung\u2019wah has condemned the Ministry of Health and the Social Health Authority (SHA) over the controversial arrest of Grace Mulei, a woman who stormed the Ministry\u2019s boardroom to protest systemic failures within SHA. Ichung\u2019wah, in a heated session with Ministry officials, demanded answers on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}