Wajir-Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has urged members of the Pastoralists community and all Kenyans to register for the government’s new Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme, saying it is more inclusive, accessible, and beneficial than the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Speaking in Wajir town during celebrations to mark 60 years of Wajir High School, CS Duale highlighted the major improvements under SHA, including its recognition of polygamous families, stating that the scheme supports up to four wives and multiple children, unlike the NHIF which only covered one nuclear family.

“This is a healthcare system tailored to our way of life. It ensures that all family members, regardless of household structure, can access quality care,” Duale said.

He emphasized that SHA services are free at all primary healthcare facilities across the country and warned that no one should be charged for services covered by the scheme. He urged citizens to report any facility demanding illegal fees by dialing 147.

“The government will not tolerate exploitation of patients. Any facility or health worker found violating SHA rules will face serious consequences,” he warned.

In the same address, CS Duale made a powerful call for the country to confront the legacy of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, particularly in marginalized regions.

He stated that he has long spoken out against such human rights abuses, going back to the administration of President Mwai Kibaki, and questioned how many innocent lives were lost during the leadership of Presidents Kibaki and Uhuru, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, and former DCI Director George Kinoti.

Health CS Aden Duale has called for a public discussion on past injustices, saying many families are still hurting from killings and abductions linked to the government.

He said events like the Wagalla, Garissa, and Malkamari massacres must be remembered and addressed, along… pic.twitter.com/peyoJsZ3lu

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“Our people’s bodies were dumped in River Yala, Tana River, and even taken to police stations,” he said. “If we are to have an honest national conversation, we must address the injustices of the Wagalla massacre, the Garissa massacre, and the Malkamari massacre.”

Duale added that families in northern Kenya are still grieving the loss of children who were abducted or killed under the guise of counterterrorism operations.

“If someone today says they are missing a child, so are we. Our children disappeared or were killed, and our mothers cried tears that no one heard,” he said.

He called for truth, accountability, and justice for victims and their families, adding that national healing cannot be achieved without confronting such painful parts of Kenya’s history.