Mutahi Kagwe’s name is once again being mentioned in discussions about the Ministry of Health, and it is no coincidence. The ongoing chaos in the ministry appears to be carefully orchestrated to create an opportunity for his return.
When he was Health CS during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kagwe was at the center of the multi-billion KEMSA scandal, where money meant for medical supplies was looted.
However, despite overwhelming evidence of corruption, he was shielded from scrutiny by powerful forces that controlled the narrative in the media. Now, with the growing push to paint the current leadership as incompetent, it is clear that certain individuals are sponsoring confusion to justify his comeback.
Gordon Opiyo recently shared a thought-provoking post on Facebook, highlighting how the removal of non-Kikuyu Health Cabinet Secretaries has been systematically engineered through negative media campaigns.
Opiyo pointed out that when Cleopa Mailu took over the ministry from James Macharia in 2015, he was quickly faced with corruption allegations and protests demanding his removal.
The same pattern followed when Sicily Kariuki replaced Mailu, as the noise suddenly disappeared. But when Kagwe took over, despite his direct involvement in the KEMSA looting, there was an unusual silence.
The media, largely controlled by a certain clique, protected him and never questioned his actions, even when he blocked Dr. Patrick Amoth from becoming the Director-General of Health purely on tribal grounds.
Now, the same script is playing out again. Since Kagwe left office, his allies have been creating instability to justify his return.
Dr. Debra Barasa, the current Health CS, has managed to handle health sector strikes and push forward key reforms like the Social Health Authority (SHA) implementation, yet she faces constant attacks from the same media that once covered up Kagwe’s failures.
These deliberate efforts to undermine her are not about competence but tribal interests. The same people who ignored the KEMSA scandal now want the public to believe that Kagwe is the best person for the job.
The problem goes beyond the Ministry of Health. The Kenyan media has been weaponized to push tribal narratives and protect individuals from specific backgrounds while destroying others. When Kagwe was looting COVID-19 funds, there was no public outcry from the usual critics.
But now that someone else is in charge and doing their job, the noise has returned. The goal is clear: destabilize the ministry, make it look like the current leadership has failed, and create room for Kagwe’s return so he can finish what he started at KEMSA.
It is time Kenyans open their eyes to these schemes. Corruption should be condemned regardless of who is involved. If Kagwe was never held accountable for his actions, why should anyone believe he is the solution now?
The media’s selective outrage exposes a deeper problem of tribal manipulation, and unless people start questioning these narratives, the cycle of protecting corrupt individuals while punishing hardworking officials will continue.
Leave feedback about this