Aden Duale

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Aden Duale
EGH
Duale in September 2023
Cabinet Secretary for Defence
In office
31 October 2022 – 11 July 2024
PresidentWilliam Ruto
Preceded byEugene Wamalwa
Succeeded bySoipan Tuya
Member of Parliament for Dujis
In office
2007–2022
Preceded byHussein Maalim Mohamed
Succeeded byOmar Hussein Abdi
Personal details
Born (1969-06-15) 15 June 1969 (age 56)
Garissa County, Kenya
EducationMoi Forces Academy, Nairobi
Alma materMoi University
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology

Aden Bare Duale EGH (Somali: Aadan Barre Ducaale) is a Kenyan politician who served as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence in the cabinet of President William Ruto,[1][2] having assumed the position on 31 October 2022.[3] He was dismissed on 11 July 2024 and then reinstated on 19 July 2024[4] in a different capacity as Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry before being moved to Ministry of Health. He hails from the Ogaden - AbudWaaq branch of the greater Darod clan.

A former Member of the National Assembly for Garissa Township Constituency, Duale served as the Majority Leader of the National Assembly under the Jubilee Party in the 11th Parliament from 2013 to 2017 and in the 12th Parliament from 2017 to 2020, when he was ousted for perceived disloyalty to former President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Jubilee Party leader.[5] He was first elected in 2007 under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), but left the party in 2009,[6] teaming up with Ruto to form the United Republican Party.[7]

Early life and education

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Duale received his Certificate of Primary Education from Garissa Primary School in 1981. He then enrolled in Garissa High School where he received his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 1985, and later joined Moi Forces Academy, Nairobi for his Kenya Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education, which he completed in 1987. He enrolled in Moi University for his undergraduate studies in education before transferring to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology for his master's degree in business administration (MBA).[8]

Early career

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In 1992, Duale began his teaching career as a graduate teacher at Sankuri Secondary School. He did, however, leave after two months and thereafter worked for six months as a clerical officer at the office of the provincial commissioner in Garissa.[citation needed] After that, he worked for their family business until becoming a director for Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation from 1999 to 2003. He is the Livestock Marketing Society of Kenya's co-founder and CEO.[9]

Political career

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Member of the National Assembly

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Duale has served as a representative of the Dujis Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya since the 2007 parliamentary elections.[10] After initially being elected with the Orange Democratic Movement, he switched parties for the 2013 elections, and won re-election as a member of the United Republican Party. He also served as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Livestock Development between 2008 and 2013. In the 11th Parliament he was a member of the House Business and House Broadcasting Committees, while in the 12th Parliament he was a member of the House Business Committee.[11]

He is known for sponsoring a bill which many consider 'a bill that killed student activism in Universities'. The bill introduced the electoral college system as opposed to the previous direct democracy system where university students directly elected their leaders. It required that students’ associations would be constituted into electoral colleges based on their academic departments, schools, or faculties.[12][13] During his time as leader of the majority, Duale was the sponsor of an unsuccessful 2018 bill that would have reserved one in three seats in parliament for women.[14]

Early in his tenure as Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Duale officially deployed troops to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to join an East African Community Joint Regional Force aiming to combat armed groups in the region.[2]

On 23 May 2024, Duale was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in honor of President Ruto at the White House.[15] On 25 March 2025, he took over the mantle to lead the Ministry of Health as the Cabinet Secretary for Health from his predecessor Deborah Mlongo Barasa.[16][17][18] His tenure as Health CS has been riddled with scandals, the most recent one being the Social Health Authority Scandal where many "ghost" hospitals have claimed treatment payments worth billions of shillings with other existing hospitals falsifying patient records to receive money for services never offered to patients.[19][20] This has led to Kenyans and the opposition calling him out to resign for failing to address this with some accusing him of being complicit in the financial malfeasance. He has however maintained that he will not resign saying that his duty is to fix the country's health sector.[21] There have been threats for his impeachment from a section of lawmakers over the same.[22] He still maintains his stance and continues to serve the country under the docket.

Political positions

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In 2014, Duale argued that homosexuality in Kenya was "as serious as terrorism", but argued against stepping up legal sanctions on the grounds that the Kenyan constitution and the penal code were tough enough.[23]

Personal life

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A Kenyan of Somali descent,[24] Duale has a wife and five sons. His eldest son is in university while the youngest is in kindergarten.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Hon. Aden Bare Duale, EGH. MP". Ministry for Defence. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Edwin Waita, Hereward Holland, and Mukelwa Hlatshwayo (3 November 2022), Kenya deploys troops to Congo to help end decades of bloodshed Reuters.
  3. ^ "New Defence CS Takes Over The Reigns At Ulinzi House". 31 October 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Kindiki, Duale, Chirchir make comeback as President Ruto nominates 11 Cabinet Secretaries". Citizen Digital. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  5. ^ Ayega, Davis (22 June 2020). "Aden Duale Kicked Out As Majority Leader". Capital News. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  6. ^ Marita, Bosco (12 August 2021). "Aden Duale: I left ODM party because it is like a cult". People Daily. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  7. ^ Agutu, Nancy (8 September 2016). "Duale explains why he left ODM". The Star. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Hon. Duale, Aden Bare". www.parliament.go.ke. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  9. ^ Gachie, Laban Thua (13 July 2020). "Aden Duale Biography, Former Majority Leader National Assembly, Kenya". Kenyan Life. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  10. ^ Members Of The 10th Parliament Archived 2008-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. Parliament of Kenya. Accessed June 19, 2008.
  11. ^ "Hon. Duale, Aden Bare". parliament.go.ke. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  12. ^ "How Aden Duale Bill killed student activism". Daily Nation.
  13. ^ "MPs Move to Change Students Leadership Law Fronted by Duale". Kenyans.co.ke.
  14. ^ Nita Bhalla (28 November 2018), Kenyan MPs block drive for more women in politics Reuters.
  15. ^ Minho Kim (23 May 2024), The Full Guest List for Biden’s State Dinner With Kenya New York Times.
  16. ^ "[Photos] Change of guard as CS Barasa hands over to Duale at MoH". The Star. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  17. ^ "CS Duale commits to full implementation of Universal Health Coverage". Capital News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  18. ^ "CS Muturi sacked, Duale becomes Health CS in Ruto Cabinet changes". Daily Nation. 26 March 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Scandal of double SHA deductions". Daily Nation.
  20. ^ "Five arrested over SHA scandal". Citizen Digital.
  21. ^ "Health CS Duale rejects calls to resign, says his duty is to fix health sector". People Daily.
  22. ^ "Kenya Moja lawmakers led by Edwin Sifuna threaten to impeach CS Duale over SHA fraud". MSN.
  23. ^ James Macharia (26 March 2014), Leading Kenyan MP says homosexuality 'as serious as terrorism' Reuters.
  24. ^ "Aden Duale, Ahmednasir Abdullahi listed among most influential Somalis". Daily Nation. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  25. ^ Mate, Tongola. "I only paid four cows for my wife- Aden Duale". Standard Entertainment. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
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