Doctors, Hospitals Face Up to Ksh50 Million Fines in New Bill

Hello and welcome to the Money News Roundup Newsletter. Today, we’re covering the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill 2025, increased fuel prices, and the former KRA chair snapping up a Ksh1.6 billion stake in a major financial solutions provider.

Up to Ksh50 Million Fines

Kenyans seeking medical care may soon have greater peace of mind if the Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill, 2025, proposed by the Ministry of Health, is passed into law.

The bill seeks to enforce uniform standards, strengthen patient rights, and ensure accountability across public, private, and faith-based health facilities. These standards include maintaining proper sanitation, lighting, ventilation, water, and food safety, enforcing anti-abuse policies, and ensuring adequate patient nutrition. Facilities will also be required to offer only services they are licensed to provide, according to Citizen TV.

Why This Matters: According to the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO), it is estimated that three out of every ten Kenyan patients are misdiagnosed. Common misdiagnoses include HIV, H. pylori (ulcers), and tuberculosis, leading some patients to be wrongly prescribed antiretroviral or anti-TB medication.

The Fines

• Ksh50 million or 10 years in prison for a facility or individual who fails to guarantee patient safety or offers unlicensed services.
  
  
• Ksh10 million or 5 years in prison for operating a facility without a valid annual license.
  
  
• Ksh20 million or 20 years in prison for operating under a revoked license.
  
  
• Ksh1 million or 1 year in prison for providing false or misleading information when applying for a license.
  
  
• Ksh2 million or 2 years in prison for obstructing an inspector, hiding documents, or impersonating an authority figure.
  
  
• Up to Ksh1 million or 1 year in prison for refusing to allow inspection or denying access to records.

What Health PS Mary Muthoni Is Saying: “This Bill is going to respond to the gaps in regulation of new areas such as ambulance services, medical aesthetic procedures, telemedicine and digital health platforms, as well as traditional and alternative medicine.
Never again will we have substandard health facilities or rogue healthcare professionals in our country — the standards will be the same.”

The Numbers: According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ Consumer Price Indices and Inflation Rates 2025 Report, the cost of healthcare rose by 3.3% over the past year.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Budget Office’s Budget Watch 2023 revealed that Kenyans pay approximately Ksh150 billion out of pocket annually for healthcare, some of which ends up in the hands of rogue professionals.

Here are top business headlines this morning

EPRA Increases Petrol Price, Drops Diesel & Kerosene 

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on Saturday reviewed fuel prices for the period between June 15 and July 14, 2025. In the latest update, the price of Super Petrol has increased by Ksh2.69 per litre, while Diesel and Kerosene have dropped by Ksh1.95 and Ksh2.06 respectively. As a result, in Nairobi, the new pump prices per litre are Ksh177.32 for Super Petrol, Ksh162.91 for Diesel, and Ksh146.93 for Kerosene.

In Mombasa, the new prices are slightly lower at Ksh161.74 for Super Petrol, Ksh147.34 for Diesel, and Ksh131.37 for Kerosene. EPRA noted that these prices include the 16% VAT, in accordance with the Finance Act 2023, the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act 2024, and revised excise duty rates adjusted for inflation under Legal Notice No. 194 of 2020. Read more on Citizen Digital.

Ex-KRA Boss Anthony Mwaura Buys Ksh1.6 Billion Stake in HF Group

Former Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) chair Anthony Mwaura, along with his wife and daughter, has acquired a Ksh1.6 billion stake in mortgage lender HF Group, becoming the second-largest shareholder in the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm.

According to Business Daily, Mwaura made the investment through his company, Toddy Civil Engineering, purchasing 81.6 million shares—representing a 4.33% stake in HF Group—during the firm’s recent rights issue. The shares are currently valued at Ksh548.3 million, significantly reshaping the company’s ownership structure.

Budget Cut Affects HIV, Tuberculosis Fight

Kenya’s battle against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria is facing a major setback due to a steep funding cut and growing doubts about international donor support, Business Daily reports. The reduced funding threatens to reverse years of progress made under Global Fund-supported health programmes.

In the upcoming financial year starting July, the government has slashed its budget allocation for these programmes by nearly 40%, down from Ksh28.7 billion in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, to Ksh17.3 billion. This significant drop raises concerns about the country’s ability to sustain critical disease control efforts.

EAC Faces Financial Crisis as Member States Delay Contributions

The East African Community (EAC) is grappling with a worsening financial crisis due to persistent delays by partner states in meeting their financial obligations, People Daily reports. The cash crunch is threatening core operations, including the payment of staff salaries and the implementation of regional development projects. This was revealed during a retreat of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Regional Integration in Mombasa, where officials from the State Department for EAC Affairs raised concerns over the growing budget shortfalls.

According to Principal Secretary Caroline Karugu, delayed remittances are suffocating the bloc’s service delivery and long-term plans. As of June 22, 2024, member states owed $51.4 million (Ksh6.7 billion), of which only $39.8 million (Ksh5.1 billion) had been paid. Newer members like the DRC have yet to begin payments for earlier years, exacerbating the deficit. Despite consistent payments from countries like Kenya, total arrears now stand at $24.1 million (Ksh3.1 billion), prompting calls for innovative financing solutions to sustain EAC operations.