NAIROBI, Kenya – Senators on Tuesday put Ministry of Health (MoH) officials on the spot over a sharp rise in expenditure, questioning how the ministry’s recurrent budget had surged by 98% despite incomplete projects and outstanding bills.
Appearing before the Senate Health Committee, chaired by Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa and two Principal Secretaries were pressed to explain why the ministry had exceeded its budgetary allocation for the financial year ending June while still requesting additional funds.
“These figures don’t make sense,” Mandago told the officials. “You have huge pending bills, yet you’re asking for more money while failing to complete ongoing projects. Why not finish what you started first?”
Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Harry Kimtai, defended the expenditure, attributing the rise to presidential directives and the incorporation of the newly rolled-out Social Health Authority (SHA) into the ministry’s budget.
“For the first time, SHA has been domesticated in our budget, which has led to a growth of Ksh.76 billion,” Kimtai explained, adding that the ministry’s total budget had jumped from Ksh.118 billion to Ksh.204 billion.
However, senators were unconvinced. Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina dismissed the justification, arguing that SHA was designed to be a semi-autonomous entity and should not be inflating MoH’s spending.
“The 98% increase does not hold water,” Ole Kina said. “This opens avenues for misuse of government funds.”
The scrutiny also extended to MoH’s expenditure on devolved healthcare functions.
Ole Kina pointed out that the ministry had allocated Ksh.990 million to build health facilities—an area that falls under county governments.
“That money should be sent to county governments,” he insisted. “Spending national government funds on devolved functions is misguided.”
Alongside CS Barasa and PS Kimtai, the session also featured Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni.
