Najib Balala has dismissed false information circulating on social media about his health, saying he is well and in good spirits.
Balala said he was aware of the misleading information that had been circulating about him and described it as unfounded, while thanking the Almighty for His mercy and protection.
“I am well and in good spirits. I am aware of the misleading information that has been circulating, but I want to assure everyone that it is unfounded. I thank the Almighty for His mercy and protection. Hasbunallahu wa ni‘mal wakeel,” Balala said.
He also thanked friends and colleagues who had reached out to him with concern and kind thoughts.
Balala is one of Kenya’s longest-serving Cabinet ministers, having spent a combined 12 years in charge of the Tourism docket under Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta.
He first served as Tourism Minister from 2008 to 2012 under Kibaki before returning to the same ministry in 2015 after serving as the first Cabinet Secretary for Mining.
Balala entered public service through local politics in Mombasa, where he served as mayor between 1998 and 1999 before being elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Mvita Constituency in the 2002 General Election.
He later served as Minister for Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services between 2003 and 2004 before moving to the National Heritage and Culture Ministry, where he served until 2005.
During his first tenure in the Tourism Ministry, Balala received recognition as Africa’s Best Tourism Minister and served as chairman of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Executive Council.After losing the Mombasa senatorial contest in the 2013 General Election, he returned to Cabinet as Mining Cabinet Secretary, where he was involved in the development of the 2014 Draft Mining Bill.Balala left the Kenyan Cabinet after the end of the Kenyatta administration and continued his work in the international tourism sector.In May 2026, he was appointed Executive Vice President for Advocacy, Government Affairs, and Research at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), adding to his international work in tourism policy and development.His latest message comes as he continues his work in the global tourism sector and follows the circulation of misleading information about his health on social media.
