For years, few journalists in Kenya have been as persistent, meticulous, and deeply sourced in the health sector as Leon Lidigu. From pandemic preparedness to hospital governance and regulatory failures, Lidigu carved out a niche as one of the country’s most respected health reporters. But it is his relentless reporting on the Social Health Authority (SHA) fraud that now stands at the centre of an extraordinary fallout, culminating in his sudden exit from Nation Media Group (NMG).
In a farewell letter to colleagues following his termination, Leon Lidigu wrote with controlled emotion but unmistakable clarity: “Dear colleagues, for the last 5 years, it has been nothing but an immense privilege to learn from you, work with you, and grow.” Beneath the gracious tone lies the reality that his departure was far from voluntary. And to understand why, one must trace the timeline of his SHA investigations, the intensity of his standoff with Health CS Aden Duale, and the extraordinary timing of major ownership changes at NMG.
Leon Lidigu and the SHA Fraud Exposé
The Social Health Authority, created to replace NHIF under President William Ruto’s health reforms, has been engulfed in claims of fraud, mismanagement, and irregular payments to facilities long before the system fully stabilized. Few journalists followed the money trail as aggressively as Leon Lidigu.
His reports raised serious concerns about the accreditation process for private clinics, highlighting instances that appeared irregular and lacked transparency.
He also scrutinized claims payouts, pointing to patterns that suggested questionable practices and potential misuse of funds.
The investigations revealed the existence of insider networks that seemed to benefit disproportionately from the new system, raising alarms about favoritism and corruption.
Underlying all of this was a weak oversight framework, which, he argued, was so poorly designed that it created fertile ground for exploitation.
He exposed patterns that mirrored infamous NHIF scandals of previous years, at a time when the government was aggressively marketing the new system as corruption-proof.
Lidigu’s reporting not only triggered internal audits but provoked a public confrontation with Health CS Aden Duale, who accused certain journalists of being “sponsored by cartels” to undermine reforms. Without naming him, Duale’s remarks were clearly aimed at the reporter most consistently publishing hard-hitting SHA stories.
In an environment where journalists uncovering corruption in the health sector are frequently threatened or sidelined, Leon Lidigu was becoming a marked man.
A Sudden Exit and a Letter That Reveals What He Can’t Say Publicly
After years of award-winning reporting, mentorship, and recognition, Lidigu’s firing shocked the media fraternity. His farewell letter, attached above, is carefully worded yet revealing.
He writes: “I will always be eternally grateful for the opportunities and lessons that have seen me amass numerous local, regional, and global awards apart from appointments to regional boards. I therefore wish to humbly let you know that today will be my last working day.”
But perhaps the most powerful part is his tribute to the editors who shaped his career:
“Their support, counsel, words of wisdom and impeccable love for what we do has immensely contributed to making me a better budding reporter.”
This is the voice of a journalist who loved his work, whose newsroom relationships were strong, and whose exit reflects something bigger, something structural and political.
Did Ownership Changes at Nation Media Group Accelerate His Firing?
The most consequential development around Lidigu’s firing is the transfer of NMG’s majority stake from the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) to a new, Kenya-registered entity: NPRT Holdings Africa Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary. The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) approved the transaction and granted an exemption allowing NPRT to avoid making a takeover offer to minority shareholders.
This restructuring raises difficult but important questions. Nation Media Group has historically enjoyed editorial insulation because the Aga Khan’s investments were perceived as more global, detached, and comparatively apolitical. A Kenyan-registered holding company, even if technically connected to AKFED, may face local political pressures more directly.
Could this have accelerated the firing of Leon Lidigu, a journalist increasingly seen as a thorn in the side of the Ministry of Health?
There is no public evidence directly linking the ownership restructuring to Leon Lidigu’s dismissal, yet the timing is difficult to ignore. The approval of the ownership transfer came just as political sensitivity around SHA reporting intensified.
Around the same period, Health CS Aden Duale escalated his attacks on journalists who questioned the ministry’s operations, sharpening the climate of hostility toward critical coverage. And in the midst of this heightened pressure, one of the country’s most prominent health reporters, whose work consistently exposed irregularities within the Social Health Authority, was abruptly shown the door.
In Kenya’s media ecosystem, where state advertising, regulatory pressure, and political relationships shape newsroom realities—it is reasonable to speculate that the confluence of these factors made Lidigu’s continued presence at NMG untenable.
For a journalist already in a showdown with a powerful Cabinet Secretary, any perceived shift in corporate priorities could have made him more vulnerable.
Media analysts note that when ownership structures change, editorial risk tolerance often changes too. A journalist like Leon Lidigu, willing to confront entrenched health-sector interests and expose multimillion-shilling schemes, can easily become collateral damage in the pursuit of “stability.”
Why Leon Lidigu’s SHA Reporting Made Him a Target
Three factors explain why Leon Lidigu’s SHA reporting made him such a marked man. The first is that he exposed fraud within a politically sensitive reform. President Ruto’s Universal Health Coverage is the administration’s flagship agenda, and revealing corruption within the Social Health Authority does more than question an institution—it challenges a central presidential promise.
The second factor is that his investigations pointed well beyond SHA staff. Several of his stories suggested the involvement of politically connected individuals, influential businessmen, and other insiders who stood to benefit from the new reimbursement architecture. By illuminating these networks, Lidigu ventured into territory where journalism becomes not just uncomfortable, but dangerous for those in power.
The third factor is the sheer scale of public scrutiny that his reporting generated. Each exposé set off a chain reaction: questions were raised in Parliament, Health CS Aden Duale issued agitated rebuttals, SHA administrators pushed back defensively, and facilities implicated in irregular claims were thrown into panic. His journalism consistently forced accountability conversations that many preferred to avoid.
In Kenya’s political environment, a reporter who persistently uncovers systemic rot becomes more than an investigative nuisance—he becomes a direct threat to both institutional interests and the carefully curated narrative of reform.
Leon Lidigu’s Career In Health Journalism
Long before the Social Health Authority was conceived, Leon Lidigu had already established himself as one of Kenya’s most authoritative and dependable health journalists. His reporting spanned the most consequential issues of the past decade: from the COVID-19 pandemic and the KEMSA procurement scandals to hospital governance failures, the country’s uneven public health preparedness, and persistent gaps in regulatory oversight.
This body of work earned him both regional and global recognition, as he mentions in his farewell letter, but perhaps even more importantly, it earned him the confidence of health workers, policymakers, international institutions, and whistleblowers. These networks—built on trust, diligence, and consistency—gave him access to information and story leads that few journalists could obtain.
In every respect, he was fulfilling the core mission of journalism: to serve the public interest through sharp, courageous, and evidence-driven reporting in a sector where transparency can often be a matter of life and death.
The Meaning of His Exit for Kenyan Journalism
The firing of Leon Lidigu, a reporter who embodied the finest ideals of public-interest journalism, signals a troubling shift in Kenya’s media landscape. It reveals a moment in which investigative reporters are becoming increasingly unsafe, political pressure is exerting greater influence over editorial decisions, and structural changes in media ownership appear to be eroding hard-won traditions of independence.
Yet even in the face of such headwinds, his legacy endures. His farewell letter, warm in tone, generous in spirit, and dignified in its restraint, reflects a journalist who may have been removed from his post but remains far from broken.
ALSO READ: The Mental Health Benefits Of Journaling For Young Adults.
