Former CS Susan Nakhumicha declares, “Our time to eat has come!” in a rare public appearance.
Former Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has stirred fresh controversy after making controversial remarks during a rare public appearance.
Speaking in Budalangi at the burial of Mama Agatha Maina Namwamba, mother to seasoned politician Ababu Namwamba, Nakhumicha told mourners that it was “their time” to fully enjoy the benefits of being in government.
“Hii serikali tuliyomo ni yetu na tuko na haki ya kukula kila kitu kwenye hii serikali. Kwa hio, hesabu yetu ni ya addition and multiplication. Mambo ya minus hakuna,” she declared, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Her remarks quickly went viral, with clips circulating widely on social media and sparking heated reactions.
One user, Master Kiarie, wrote on X: “And that people are cheering when she says that, yet she is just among a few who will eat from this govt.”
Another, JK Muts, lamented: “Are these the leaders that our young people should emulate? No. One feels terribly ashamed to be associated with such.”
Others, however, viewed her words as unusually candid.
“The lady is honest… brutally so. It’s their time to loot from us ordinary Kenyans… but not for long,” wrote Uncle Dan.
Nakhumicha is no stranger to controversy that often mars the murky waters of Kenyan politics.
She first contested the Trans Nzoia woman representative seat on a Ford–Kenya ticket in 2022 but lost.
Her fortunes changed later that year when President William Ruto appointed her Cabinet Secretary for Health, a position that placed her in the national spotlight.
Her tenure at Afya House was turbulent, marked by frequent clashes with health workers’ unions over delayed salaries and poor working conditions.
She was also tasked with rolling out Ruto’s flagship Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), a reform praised for its ambition but criticised as rushed and poorly structured.
Nakhumicha left office with a mixed legacy of loyalty to the Kenya Kwanza administration, resilience in the face of pressure, and controversies over her combative leadership style and unfinished reforms.
She was later appointed as Kenya’s permanent representative to UN-Habitat.
Her recent comments now come at a time when the country is witnessing political realignments ahead of 2027, reigniting memories of former DP Rigathi Gachagua’s “shareholders” narrative.
The controversial concept suggested that those who voted for the Kenya Kwanza administration were entitled to state resources ahead of others, remarks that triggered widespread backlash, with critics accusing him of deepening tribal and political divisions in the country.
Although Gachagua later toned down his rhetoric under pressure, the narrative has continued to haunt him politically, even out of office.
