stephine okello

There was a time when Safaricom would send everyone birthday wishes and even that 1GB birthday gift. A time when calling 100 meant getting help almost immediately. A time when data bundles actually felt worth it. Now birthdays pass like any other day for many. You can call 100 the whole day, and no one picks up. Maybe they seem like small things, but those little customer-first touches are part of what made Bob Collymore’s era stand out. Ndegwa, please restore customer care now.

“I will give you back seven times what you lost.” Joel 2:25. If you believe type 'Amen'.

THE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AND DENTISTS AMENDMENT BILL 2026 1. Executive Summary I do not support the Bill in its current form. Kenya Healthcare Professional Oversight Authority (KHPOA) should take up regulation of the proposed cadres. After all KHPOA has recently decided that is their role. While the intention to strengthen regulation across health professions is acknowledged, the proposed amendments: * Lack a clearly defined policy problem * Risk compromising patient safety * Promote unsafe scope expansion (scope creep) * Create false equivalence between cadres with vastly different training * Fail to address quality of training and supervision gaps International experience—particularly from South Africa—demonstrates that such regulatory consolidation leads to confusion, inefficiency, and weakened clinical governance. 2. The Central Policy Question: What Problem Is Being Solved? Effective legislation must be grounded in a clearly defined problem. The Bill: * Does not identify failures in the current Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act * Does not present evidence of regulatory gaps affecting patient outcomes * Does not justify merging multiple cadres under one regulatory framework My Position: This reform appears to be structural without being problem-driven, risking unintended consequences. 3. Core Concern: Patient Safety and Quality of Care 3.1 Differences in Training and Competence Medical doctors: * Undergraduate training: 5–6 years degree + internship + postgraduate specialization (optional) Proposed additional cadres: * Predominantly diploma-level training * Limited diagnostic and clinical decision-making exposure These differences are not merely academic— they directly affect patient outcomes. 3.2 Risk of Scope Creep By placing: * Community Oral Health Officers * Dental Technologists * Optometrists under the same regulator as doctors and dentists, the Bill: * Encourages progressive expansion of scope without matching training * Creates pressure for independent practice This is a well-documented trajectory in health systems globally. 4. Undermining the Supervision Model Kenya’s healthcare system is designed as a team-based model with clear leadership: * Doctors → diagnosis, clinical leadership, complex care * Dentists → specialized oral health care * Mid-level cadres → support roles under supervision The Bill: * Does not reinforce supervision requirements * Creates regulatory parity that weakens hierarchical accountability The Rresult: Supervision becomes nominal, especially in resource-limited settings. 5. Public Misperception and False Equivalence Regulatory structures communicate professional status to the public. Placing all cadres under a single council: * Creates perceived equivalence in competence * Confuses patients about who is qualified to provide what level of care This is particularly dangerous in: * Rural settings * Low-health-literacy populations 6. African Comparative Experience 🇿🇦 South Africa (HPCSA Model) – Key Lessons South Africa regulates multiple cadres under the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Observed Challenges: 1. Scope Creep * Clinical associates introduced as support staff * Increasing pressure for independent practice and prescribing rights 2. Weak Supervision In rural areas, mid-level cadres often practice without effective oversight 3. Public Confusion * Patients struggle to distinguish between cadres * Leads to misplaced trust and delayed escalation of care 4. Regulatory Overload HPCSA faces: * Licensing delays * Disciplinary backlogs * Administrative inefficiencies 5. Internal Conflict Different professional boards competing over scope and authority 6. Two-Tier Healthcare System * Doctor-led care (urban/private) * Mid-level-led care (rural/public) The result: Entrenchment of inequity—different standards of care for different populations 🇬🇭 Ghana Separate regulatory bodies for: * Medical and dental practitioners * Allied health professionals Outcome: Clear role definitions and less scope conflict 🇳🇬 Nigeria Distinct councils: * Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) * Separate boards for other cadres 👉 Outcome: Maintains professional clarity and accountability 🇷🇼 Rwanda Integrated frameworks exist but with strict scope definition and supervision enforcement My key takeaway: Integration without strict scope control leads to system instability. 7. Risk of Entrenching Inequality in Healthcare The Bill risks formalizing a system where: * Wealthier populations access doctor-led care * Lower-income populations receive mid-level-led care This creates: “Two standards of medicine within one country” I strongly opposes any policy direction that institutionalizes “poor care for the poor.” 8. Governance and Policy Integrity Concerns Legislation must be: * Evidence-based * Patient-centered * Free from perceived or actual conflict of interest I note that: * The Bill closely aligns with the interests of specific cadres * There is insufficient demonstration of broad stakeholder consensus Parliament must ensure: * Neutral, system-wide policy formulation * Avoidance of profession-driven legislative capture 9. My Recommendations I proposes the following: 1. Maintain Distinct Regulatory Frameworks * Preserve specialized councils for different cadres * Strengthen coordination rather than merging structures 2. Strengthen Supervision Laws Explicit legal requirement for: * Doctor-led supervision * Defined delegation frameworks 3. Standardize Training Quality * National benchmarks for all training institutions * Independent accreditation mechanisms 4. Define and Protect Scope of Practice * Clear legal boundaries for each cadre * Enforcement mechanisms for violations 5. Patient-Centered Reform * Focus on: * Quality of care * Clinical outcomes * Safety standards — not administrative restructuring alone 10. Conclusion The Medical Practitioners and Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2026: * Blurs critical distinctions in training and competence * Encourages unsafe scope expansion * Weakens supervision structures * Risks misleading the public * Lacks a clearly defined policy justification 11. My Position I respectfully call upon Parliament to: * Reject the Bill in its current form, OR * Subject it to substantial amendments following stakeholder consultation 12. Closing Healthcare regulation must protect patients first. Any law that blurs competence, weakens supervision, or lowers standards risks institutionalizing inequality in care. Kenya must not adopt a system where the quality of care depends on who you are or where you live. Download the full bill on: drive.google.com/.../1Tqzx5bdwD…... Dr Simon Kigondu is an obstetrician gynaecologist at Excella Healthcare and a commentator on Health Policy.

@orengo_james @citizentvkenya Jakom,you have been a field warrior before,and you deeply know some media outlets will engineer stories to sooth some of their patrons. Being a general and a near veteran; we know you know how to win battles engineered on propaganda

Contrary to the misreporting by @citizentvkenya , we did not leave the venue because we were "chased." We departed because the presiding Bishop and Seme MP James Nyikal had already left to proceed with the burial of his father. Our sole purpose for attending was to offer our condolences and stand in solidarity with the family. Remaining unbowed, we left the service and arrived safely at the airport to return to Nairobi. This travel is in preparation for the EALASCA Festival, which are scheduled to kick off in Mombasa on Monday, May 4th, 2026. I am proud to confirm that Siaya County will be participating in the upcoming events and I will be joining them as the Patron of KICOSCA. While at the airport, we enjoyed a warm reception and spent time engaging with the locals before boarding. The people of Kisumu are WANTAM, a spirit of hospitality and excellence that was clearly on display throughout the past weekend. facebook.com/share/r/1EDEzS…

@ivymuthe We are not a developed country just yet But for us to get there, discipline is paramount. One brutal way of ensuring it is instilled is through such acts. You want success,do away with deterrence. Simple; you can't have them both.

I saw a video of teachers smashing students’ phones and I was completely shocked. This is 2026 — technology is advancing rapidly, and phones have become an essential part of daily life.Instead of destroying them, schools should simply collect the phones at the beginning of term and return them to the students on the closing day. In developed countries, students are allowed to bring their phones but hand them over to staff until they need to use them, or they get them back when school closes. We should adopt similar sensible policies in our schools, because phones are here to stay.Resorting to destructive acts like this in the name of punishment is pure stupidity. Watching a teacher pick up a hammer and smash a KSh 30,000 phone genuinely pained me. It’s heartbreaking and completely unnecessary.

@LumenX_ Amen

“I will give you back seven times what you lost.” Joel 2:25. If you believe type 'Amen'.

Edwin Sifuna is become a political heavyweight & UDA minions are yet to accept that he has become a presidential material. If Edwin Sifuna is taking this journey seriously, he would become president in 2027. He's young, energetic, clean, competent & qualified. I support Sifuna for president in 2027.

@MamelaPaul @Genesismwanzo1 There's a time a rude neurosurgeon told nurses that he uses his brain to operate on patients' brains and challenged nurses to tell him what they do with their's. Guess what,the patient died and the Neuro was fired leaving the nurses behind. You do not want to go down that road

@Genesismwanzo1 CO ni punda ya consultant, registrars na MOs. Nurses ni punda ya kila mtu.

I am a CO, my role is to examine patients, diagnose, order and interpret tests, prescribe treatment perform proceducers according to scope & Nurses mainly focus on patient care, monitoring, administering medications, nursing procedures, health education, and supporting recovery.

@Genesismwanzo1 What procedures specifically do COs do that BSc. Nurses do not do

Good afternoon patriots. Here is your Lunchtime dose of anger. This should make you angry enough to avoid any nice looking thing near you. Today at Milimani High Court. Courtroom 31. One man is challenging KSh 7 trillion of debt. Borrowed in your name. Without your approval. Routed to offshore accounts instead of the Consolidated Fund. KSh 12.4 trillion total. And only 28.6% had proper legal backing. The rest was just borrowed. Quietly. On your behalf. While you were sleeping. The political class is silent. The media is silent. The same media that covered Ruto's misquoting in real time. Silent. The same politicians who scream about the people on rally podiums. Silent. Because this case does not just challenge the debt. It challenges everyone who borrowed it. Past presidents. Current presidents. Treasury officials. The IMF. All named as respondents. Now here is the question nobody is asking. If Omtatah wins. Who pays? You. The same Kenyan who did not borrow the money. Did not approve the money. Did not see the money. Will pay back the money. With SHA deductions. And housing levy. And dirty fuel taxes. This is the most important court case in Kenya's history. And it is trending below Ruto's English lessons. Stand with Omtatah Kenya. He is doing what the whole Parliament should be doing. For free on your behalf. Again. Make it trend as they do not want you to know about #DeniBandia Dismas wa Tabu. Dreaming in installments. Billed in full.

Good evening patriots. Here is your evening dose of anger. So recently, the President went to Busia, broke ground on a 20,000 seater stadium. Promised it would be completed by December. The excavators left before he reached Nairobi. This is Kenyan groundbreaking in its purest form. The ground is broken. The promise is made. The cameras leave. The excavators leave. The President leaves. Everyone leaves. Except the people of Busia. Who are left with a hole in the ground. And a December that will come and go. Like all the other Decembers. Nithi Bridge is still waiting from 2022. Busia stadium left before the dust settled. In Kenya a groundbreaking is not the beginning of construction. It is the construction. The hole IS the stadium. Congratulations Busia. You are now the proud owners of a 20,000 seater hole. Enjoy the long con game till December and you will understand why the Nithi Bridge has been relaunched six times. Have an angry night patriots. Dismas wa Tabu. Dreaming in installments. Billed in full.

@Kibet_Goat Jesus teaches that we give what belongs to Caesar to Caesar and what belongs to God we give it to God. Apana leta mchanganyiko kijaana

Hiyo mia mbili unataka kugawa pastor in the name of sadaka ingia nayo pharmacy buy normal saline moja and visit some random patient in a public hospital casualty, you will save a life!

@JoelJirane Kila msee hujipanga na schedule yake.Kuenda church mapema inamaanisha msee anaelewa scheduling ya stuffs zake.

@StephineOkello Before you go to church atleast do some one two before utoke.

Lakini unaamkia church 6am kwani hauna kazi ingine ya kufanya?

@UDAPartyKe Build,equip & run 12 more level 6 hospitals. Revert to the old university funding model.Expand the Mau Summit-Kisumu-Busia town to a dual carriage. Expand agricultural land in N.Eastern. Put Mega dams on R.Nzoia,Suo and Tana for H.E power. Find me to supervise the work,for free

If you get a chance to meet Dr. William Ruto, what will you tell him?? N/B: He's reading comments.

@Adele_lide @Weeleey6 Chest pains😭🏌️‍♂️😅😅

@Weeleey6 Hakuna rally itafanyika hapo You can't call Oburu Mediocre and expect his people to kiss you

Venue secured. 💪🏿🔥 peoples power

@MOH_Kenya @MOH_Kenya, What happened to the proposed Pwani University Teaching,Research and Referral Hospital!!!???

Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr. Ouma Oluga, on April 24, 2026, inspected the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to assess progress on the construction of the proposed 4,000-bed multispecialty hospital. The flagship Government project is set to transform healthcare delivery and position Kenya as a leading regional hub for medical tourism. Dr. Oluga noted that the facility will reduce outbound medical referrals by enabling access to advanced super-specialised and sub-specialised care locally, describing it as a game changer for the health sector. Once operational, the hospital is expected to expand access to high-quality care, improve patient outcomes, and strengthen Kenya’s competitiveness in the global health space. It will also serve as a centre for training, research, and innovation, while contributing to economic growth through job creation. The Principal Secretary reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to timely and quality completion, urging adherence to set timelines and high construction standards. Upon completion, the facility is expected to position MTRH as a centre of excellence for specialised healthcare, teaching, and research in Africa. Dr. Oluga was received by MTRH Board Chair Mr. Sitoyo Lopokoiyit and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Philip Kirwa during the visit.

The institution of marriage is under serious attack from those who hate marriages and what marriages stand for. We must reject those who hate marriages, startimg with satan.

@ginInstructor He does not even deserve a nomination

@goaldigger_ke @VellaJimmie So because he refused to pay you he doesn't deserve to run for MP ?

Guys!!! 😂😂😂😂 Remember my boss who refused to pay people??? Guess what!? Maajabu!!