Cabinet approves Bill to combat healthcare malpractice, enhance patient safety
The Bill introduces a unified quality assurance framework designed to eliminate entrenched fraud, weak oversight and collusion within Kenya’s healthcare system.
The government has approved the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill, 2025, a major health sector reform package that seeks to crack down on malpractice, standardise care across all facilities and protect patients through a powerful new regulatory authority.
The Bill, which was approved during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday, introduces a unified quality assurance framework designed to eliminate entrenched fraud, weak oversight and collusion within Kenya’s healthcare system.
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Cabinet noted that failures in the health sector have stemmed from systemic regulatory gaps, allowing unqualified and fraudulent facilities to be licensed and operate unchecked. The proposed legislation aims to end this impunity by mandating strict licensing, registration and accreditation for all health providers, public, private, county-run and faith-based.
It also establishes the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Authority, an independent body with powers to enforce care standards, monitor performance and oversee the implementation of national quality guidelines.
“This Bill is going to respond to the gaps in regulation in new areas such as ambulance services, medical aesthetic procedures, telemedicine and digital health platforms, as well as traditional and alternative medicine,” Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said in a brief about the Bill last month.
If enacted, the law will compel all health facilities to offer only those services for which they are licensed and qualified. Violators will face penalties of up to Sh50 million, a jail term of up to 10 years, or both.
Under the Bill, all facilities will be required to establish internal quality assurance mechanisms, including clinical audits, peer reviews, patient feedback channels, and submission of annual quality and safety reports to the Authority.
Health providers must also maintain proper sanitation, ventilation, lighting, waste disposal, food and water safety, and consistent medical equipment servicing. Additionally, the Authority will set national performance indicators and conduct both scheduled and surprise inspections.
It will have powers to issue compliance certificates, suspend or revoke licences and recommend prosecution where criminal liability is found. A formal complaints process will allow patients, staff, and the public to report issues verbally or in writing for investigation and appropriate action.
“Never again will we have substandard health facilities or rogue healthcare providers. Whether private, public, or faith-based, the quality of healthcare will be uniform,” Muthoni said.
The Bill also introduces oversight for emergency medical services, with ambulance operators required to meet specific standards on crew training and equipment safety. Telemedicine and digital health platforms will be brought under regulation to ensure quality care in both remote and physical settings.
The Cabinet endorsed the Bill, saying it is a cornerstone of the government’s commitment to delivering safe, effective and equitable healthcare under the Universal Health Coverage programme.
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