Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo is the latest politician to call for the resignation of Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha, labeling her as incompetent in handling the ongoing health sector crisis.
In an interview on Citizen TV on Thursday, Maanzo criticized Nakhumicha’s inability to resolve the deadlock that has led to a prolonged doctors’ strike.
“As a minister, she should be able to come up with solutions unless she is directed from elsewhere. If she understood the medical world and how doctors function then she would know what to do,” he stated, highlighting the dire state of patients in deserted hospital wards.
Senator Maanzo went further, advocating for public demonstrations in support of the medical practitioners, emphasizing the urgent need for Nakhumicha’s departure and reforms in the health sector.
“If more lives should be lost then all Kenyans should join the doctors in a strike. We should have demonstrations as there has never been in this country for her resignation and for the health sector to be set right,” he said.
Additionally, the Senator suggested that devolving health services to counties could offer a viable solution to the ongoing impasse.
This proposal comes amid growing calls for Nakhumicha’s impeachment.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino announced his intention to file an impeachment motion against the CS, citing “gross violation of the constitution and incompetence.”
The motion reportedly has the backing of 111 MPs and has further support from the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK)’s demand for Nakhumicha’s resignation due to her failure to address the health sector’s staffing crisis.
The ongoing doctors’ strike, led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) since March 15, originated from demands for unpaid salaries and the hiring of intern doctors.
The government has offered 2.4 billion shillings aimed at resolving the issue, but the union rejected it, arguing it does not fulfill the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
