Counties are gearing up to take action against a growing number of unlicensed and poorly regulated health facilities across the country, following renewed calls by the Council of Governors for a major crackdown.

Speaking during the groundbreaking of a 40-bed maternity wing at Mpukoni Health Centre in Tharaka Nithi County, Health Committee Chairperson and Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki said counties, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, will move to close down clinics and pharmacies operating without proper authorisation.

“We have received numerous reports of facilities offering substandard services while posing as legitimate hospitals," said Njuki, adding that many of the reported facilities are linked to fatal cases of medical negligence.

He said most of these health centres are manned by unqualified individuals or medics who lease their licences to others, a trend that he described as dangerous and unacceptable.

“Many of these facilities are manned by quacks or medics who rent out their licences for profit, and this must stop,” Njuki said.

Pharmacies are also under the spotlight, with the governor revealing that many of them are operating without licences and continue to put patients at risk.

“These chemists are mushrooming everywhere. But upon inspection, many are not licensed, yet they continue to handle drugs and patients,” he noted.

He urged members of the public to be more cautious when choosing where to seek healthcare services, warning that many unregistered clinics may appear legitimate but are not safe.

Njuki also encouraged Kenyans to continue registering under the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the new system is designed to improve healthcare access and strengthen accountability.

He highlighted the flexibility of SHA, particularly through the new Lipa Pole Pole payment option, which allows individuals to spread their contributions over time instead of making large one-time payments.

“Paying for a full year under SHA is far more cost-effective than being hit with a huge hospital bill when uninsured,” he said.

He added that the SHA platform would be especially beneficial to informal workers who often face challenges in affording health insurance.

In a separate announcement, Njuki said Tharaka Nithi County is planning to install cancer early-detection equipment in all 115 health facilities across the county within a year, in a bid to tackle the rising cancer cases.