Government proposes new health authority to regulate facilities, protect patients
The proposal is under the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill (No. 41 of 2025), which seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework to promote high standards of healthcare and safeguard patients’ rights.
The Government has proposed a new authority to regulate health facilities and protect patient rights following revelations that unqualified individuals and unauthorised facilities have been operating without proper oversight, exposing Kenyans to preventable harm.
Appearing before the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Health, chaired by Seme MP James Nyikal, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the proposed body will harmonise registration, licensing and accreditation processes across the sector to ensure consistency, accountability and patient safety.
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The proposal is under the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill (No. 41 of 2025), which seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework to promote high standards of healthcare and safeguard patients’ rights.
Duale defended the Bill, saying it aims to close existing regulatory gaps that have allowed unqualified practitioners and unauthorised health facilities to operate unchecked, undermining healthcare quality and public confidence.
“These gaps in uniform healthcare regulation have enabled unqualified individuals and unauthorised facilities to operate without oversight or accountability. Such practices compromise patient safety, expose the public to preventable harm and weaken trust in the health system,” he said.
He also noted that the proposed law seeks to establish a unified regulatory system for the oversight, registration, licensing and accreditation of all health facilities, promoting consistency and improving healthcare outcomes nationwide.
The Bill further seeks to create a Health Sector Tribunal to harmonise dispute resolution, strengthen oversight, foster innovation and safeguard the rights of all stakeholders in the health system.
In addition to the Patient Safety Bill, the Cabinet Secretary presented submissions on the Health and Medical Practitioners and Dentists (Amendment) Bills, 2024, reaffirming the government’s commitment to a people-centred and equitable healthcare system.
“The Ministry remains committed to curbing the commercialisation of health education by ensuring training programmes align with regulatory standards to uphold patient safety and professional integrity,” Duale said.
During the session, the Committee also discussed the scope of practice across health professions, emphasising the importance of practitioners operating strictly within their competencies to deliver safe, lawful and effective care.
The Ministry said the proposed Bills will streamline healthcare regulation, enhance accountability and strengthen patient safety across Kenya’s health sector, while also advancing the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda.
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