Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale Defends Ethnic Remark and Digital Health Fee

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale faced public backlash after a speech in which he was accused of referring to members of the Kikuyu community as "hyenas." Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi defended Duale, praising his long‑standing support for Islamic institutions and describing him as "a lion, not a hyena."

On 4 August 2026 Duale also disputed a Daily Nation report that claimed the digital health system’s service fee was being paid to a private company. He asserted the 2 % fee, capped at Ksh 5,000 per transaction, is mandated by the Social Health Insurance Act 2023 and the Digital Health Regulations 2025, and that the revenue goes to the state‑run Digital Health Agency, not a private firm. The article noted the platform has generated about Ksh 1.2 billion since rollout, raising questions about transparency and procurement.

Duale’s statements aim to counter accusations of ethnic profiling and alleged mismanagement of public funds.