The High Court in Eldoret has quashed the formation of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Pending Medical Claims Verification Committee, ruling that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale lacked constitutional and statutory authority to create the body. Justice R. Nyakundi declared the committee “null and void” and issued an order of certiorari cancelling its establishment. The committee, constituted through Gazette Notice No. 4069 dated 28 March 2025, had been tasked with verifying billions of shillings in medical bills owed to hospitals by the now-defunct NHIF. The court found that neither the Constitution nor the transitional provisions of the Social Health Insurance Act envisage such an ad-hoc entity. Justice Nyakundi said the committee contravened Article 31 of the Constitution and sidestepped existing oversight institutions such as the Office of the Auditor-General. While noting the Cabinet Secretary may have acted in good faith, the judge emphasised that public-fund audits must follow legally prescribed channels, rendering any decisions or actions by the committee legally ineffective.