Debra Mulongo Barasa is a distinguished medical personnel and one of the recently nominated cabinet members of President William Ruto. She was nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Health. She has a robust background in healthcare, particularly in internal medicine and infectious diseases.
Early Life and Education
Dr. Mulongo holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from the University of Nairobi (2001-2006). She further specialized with a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine from the same university (2012-2015). Additionally, she earned a Master of Science in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Career
Dr. Mulongo has over 18 years of experience in the medical field. She has served in various capacities, including as an Internal Medicine Consultant Physician at CHANF and an Infectious Diseases Consultant at the World Health Organization (WHO). Her career also includes roles as a Senior Technical Advisor for HIV/TB/Communicable and non-communicable diseases at the Eastern Deanery Aids Relief Program and as a Senior House Officer/Senior Registrar at Kenyatta National Hospital. Her expertise spans clinical practice, public health programs, and technical advisory roles, making her a well-rounded and highly respected figure in the healthcare community.
Uprising Controversy
In the wake of her nomination for the Health Cabinet Secretary, there have been allegations from some Kenyan Gen Z X(Formerly Twitter) communities that Mulongo’s medical license has been withdrawn by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council in the year 2020.
A medical personnel has however cleared the air on that and said;
“This one means nothing. As a doctor, i can point out that the board “removing” you from the register simply means you have not paid the fee for that year. And if you are abroad or not actively practising, you can skip” he wrote.