Mine Plus My Husband- New Health CS Nominee Debra Barasa Declares Her Net Worth

The nominee further stated that she is a qualified medical doctor with 18 years of experience in the medical field.

Viral Tea Ke Writer Viral Tea Ke Writer
Aug 1, 2024 - 13:39 Updated: Aug 1, 2024 - 13:55
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Mine Plus My Husband- New Health CS Nominee Debra Barasa Declares Her Net Worth
Health Cabinet Secretary Nominee Debra Barasa while appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments. /MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Dr Debra Mlongo Barasa, the nominee for the position of Health Cabinet Secretary, revealed that her net worth is Ksh455,845,320.

While appearing before the National Assembly Appointments Committee for vetting, she expounded by saying "My net worth is a combination of mine and my husband and it is Ksh455,845,320."

The nominee further stated that she is a qualified medical doctor with 18 years of experience in the medical field. She also revealed details of her family life.

"I am a qualified medical doctor with more than 18 years of medical expertise and a public health professional background.

National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetangula and his deputy, Gladys Shollei during the vetting of Cabinet Secretary nominees on August 1, 2024. /PARLIAMENT OF KENYA

"I am a wife, a mother of four lovely children and also a twin. I have vast experience in terms of policy advice, strategic direction, technical advice and clinical practice," Barasa explained. 

She further revealed that she has worked with the public and private sectors from the primary care level up to the national level at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

At the same time, Barasa disclosed that she has been working with several Health Ministry focal points in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, which covers 22 countries, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), to support their infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes.

In addition, the Cabinet nominee indicated that she has been involved in global strategies and action plans, as well as the development of guidelines at the global level.

During the vetting, Barasa was pressed to address the matter of the doctors' strike, but she stated that she would ensure that she worked together with the doctors' unions to ensure that there would be no more strikes.

"I believe that the long-term solutions are with us. We need to work together with the unions, doctors themselves, the interns, the bodies among other stakeholders to come up with a solution," she said.

At the moment, she said she does not have a solution but she proposed situational analysis to develop action plans following that, which included a doctors'/ interns' Act, and the Return to Work Formulas which need implementation with help from the Ministry of Treasury.

Doctors returned to work two months ago following a three-month strike, a matter which has proved a headache for Barasa's predecessor, Susan Nakhumicha.

On May 8, public doctors signed a return-to-work agreement with the government meant to end a strike that started in mid-March.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), which represents more than 7,000 members, went on strike on March 15, to demand payment of their salary arrears and the immediate hiring of trainee doctors, among other grievances, with the union stating that the doctors' arrears arose from a 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

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