Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Harry Kimtai struggled to explain the circumstances surrounding the arrest of 61-year-old Grace Njoki, whose dramatic storming of Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa’s meeting at Afya House last week sparked outrage.
During a midterm retreat in Naivasha, MPs pressed the PS to clarify the specific offense Njoki had committed when she visited a public office to express her frustrations over the failures of the Social Health Authority (SHA) program.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah questioned who had lodged the complaint against Njoki and what crime she had allegedly committed.
“We just want to know, who was the complainant in this case? Was it SHA, the ministry, or the police acting independently? If it was the ministry, what exactly was the complaint against Grace Njoki?” Ichung’wah asked.
He further questioned why Njoki had been released on a Ksh 50,000 police bond if no serious offense had been committed.
“Was the complaint withdrawn, or is there still a criminal case being pursued against her?” he posed.
Ichung’wah, who is also the Kikuyu MP, argued that the issue was being blown out of proportion, stating that Njoki had simply raised concerns, which the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) later acknowledged as valid.
In response, PS Kimtai confirmed that the Ministry of Health was the complainant in the case, a revelation that sparked sharp criticism from lawmakers.
“The offense is trespassing and causing commotion,” Kimtai said, drawing heckles from MPs.
Njoki was arrested last week at Ladnan Hospital in Eastleigh, where she had gone to seek treatment. The facility is owned by Social Health Authority (SHA) chairperson Dr. Abdi Mohamed. She was later charged with causing a disturbance at the Ministry of Health’s offices and released on a Ksh 10,000 cash bail.
Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula dismissed the trespass claims, arguing that a government office is a public space.
“For the sake of the ministry’s image and that of the country, the complaint should be withdrawn,” Wetang’ula asserted.
PS Kimtai later assured lawmakers that the ministry would withdraw the complaint.
Njoki’s arrest followed a protest involving other Kenyatta National Hospital patients who stormed the Ministry’s boardroom during a press conference by Health CS Deborah Barasa.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned the arrest, calling for accountability in the SHA program.
“We will continue raising our voices until the government addresses these issues. President William Ruto must reexamine the challenges facing SHA,” an LSK representative stated.
