Duale, Kang’ata Clash Over Murang’a’s Afya Ke System

By Our Correspondent

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has denied claims that the national government switched off Murang’a County’s Afya Ke digital health system, saying neither the ministry nor the Digital Health Agency controls the platform.

The denial follows accusations by Governor Irungu Kang’ata that the shutdown disrupted the county’s digital healthcare operations and threatened access to patients’ medical records.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said Afya Ke was a private arrangement between the county government and its developers.

“The system is a private arrangement between the County Government of Murang’a and its developers. The Digital Health Agency (DHA) has also not refused to certify the Afya Ke system. Neither the Afya Ke developers nor Murang’a County has applied for certification,” Duale said.

The ministry also rejected claims that it had switched off the system, saying it did not own, control or manage the platform and did not possess its source code.

The dispute emerged a day after Kang’ata accused the national government of shutting down Afya Ke. He warned that the move could disrupt hospital operations and deny health workers access to patients’ medical histories.

The governor said Murang’a had automated its hospitals using the system since 2023. It enabled health workers to record and retrieve patient information, prescriptions, laboratory results and billing records electronically.

Kang’ata said the county had expected Afya Ke to be integrated with the Social Health Authority (SHA) platform rather than discontinued.

“Despite Afya.ke being a free government system, and despite a promise that was made to me by the cabinet secretary in charge of health, Mr Duale, in my presence that Afya.ke would be interconnected to SHA and not shut down,” Kang’ata said.

He warned that losing access to historical medical records could complicate treatment, particularly for patients whose care depends on previous diagnoses, prescriptions and laboratory results.

Reports from the county indicated that some Level 2 and Level 3 health facilities had been affected. Concerns were also raised about submitting claims for reimbursement by SHA.

The extent of any disruption and whether historical patient data had been permanently lost remained unclear.

Kang’ata said the county had held meetings with national government officials to resolve the dispute but had not secured the integration it expected. He also questioned the cost of replacing a system he described as free with another platform that might require payment.

The Ministry of Health maintained that the Digital Health Agency had not rejected Afya Ke’s certification application because neither the county nor the developers had submitted one.

“The Governor should therefore refrain from making misleading statements that could misinform the public and cause unnecessary concern among residents and healthcare stakeholders,” Duale said.

Certification is part of the regulatory process for digital health systems seeking approval to operate within Kenya’s national health information infrastructure. The assessment covers requirements such as data security, privacy, functionality and interoperability.

However, the ministry did not say whether Afya Ke had undergone a preliminary technical assessment or whether discussions had taken place on integrating it with the national platform.

The two sides therefore offered different accounts of the transition. Kang’ata said the existing system had been switched off before the promised integration, while the ministry said it neither controlled the platform nor had rejected a certification application.

Despite the disagreement, the ministry assured residents that access to healthcare would continue through established SHA systems.

“We wish to assure the public that all Social Health Authority (SHA) beneficiaries in Murang’a will continue to access healthcare services without interruption via the established SHA systems,” the statement said.

The dispute comes as the government advances plans to establish a national digital health infrastructure under its wider Taifa Care reforms.

On October 2, the ministry said the migration from the SHA Provider Portal to the Health Management Information System was expected to be completed by October 30.

The transition is intended to improve health information management, claims processing and the exchange of information between healthcare providers.

The Murang’a dispute highlights the challenges of integrating existing county systems with a national platform. Any prolonged interruption in access to medical records could increase administrative work for health workers and affect continuity of care.

The status of historical patient records and the extent of disruption in Murang’a had not been independently established by the time of publication.