The Ministry of Health has distanced itself from allegations that it switched off Murang’a County’s Afya Ke digital health system, following protests by Governor Irungu Kang’ata over the reported shutdown.
In a press statement dated Thursday, October 15, the ministry denied shutting down the platform, saying it neither owns, controls nor manages the system used in county hospitals.
The ministry also clarified that it does not possess Afya Ke’s source code, describing the platform as a private arrangement between the county government and its developers.
“The Ministry of Health has noted with concern the allegations by the Governor of Murang'a that the Ministry has switched off the Afya Ke system in the county. To set the record straight, the Ministry of Health has not switched off the Afya Ke system. The Ministry neither owns, controls, nor manages the system, nor does it have the source code, contrary to the allegations,” the Ministry stated.
Health CS Aden Duale during a meeting with teachers on September 17, 2026
@HonAdenDuale
It further dismissed claims that the Digital Health Agency (DHA) had refused to certify the system, explaining that neither Murang’a County nor the developers had applied for certification.
The ministry urged Kang’ata to avoid making misleading allegations that could cause unnecessary concern among residents and healthcare stakeholders, maintaining its commitment to supporting counties’ digital health programs.
“The Governor should therefore refrain from making misleading statements that could misinform the public and cause unnecessary concern among residents and healthcare stakeholders,” the statement added.
The clarification followed Kang’ata’s protest on Wednesday, October 14, after he accused national health agencies of abruptly shutting down the county’s automated healthcare platform.
The governor said the move contradicted assurances from Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale that Afya Ke would be interconnected with the national system rather than discontinued.
Kang’ata warned that the shutdown could disrupt hospital operations by limiting healthcare workers’ access to patients’ medical histories, prescriptions, laboratory results and electronic billing records accumulated between 2020 and 2023.
He also questioned the reported certification concerns, arguing that national regulators had declined to approve Afya Ke while approving systems operated by private hospitals.
Despite the dispute, the governor confirmed that county facilities had begun migrating to the national Taifa Care platform, which is also associated with the Social Health Authority (SHA), as hospitals adjusted to the transition.
The Ministry of Health assured residents that SHA beneficiaries in Murang’a would continue accessing healthcare without interruption through established SHA systems, insisting that the dispute would not interfere with their access to any treatment.
Kang’ata also attributed the increase in annual healthcare revenue collection from Ksh80 million to Ksh800 million to Afya Ke, warning that replacing the free platform could increase taxpayer costs.
The Social Health Authority(SHA) building, October 1, 2024.
Photo
Social Health Authority