Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has protested the shutdown of the county’s Afya.ke digital health system, warning that the move could disrupt healthcare services and limit access to patients’ medical records.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 14, Kang’ata said the county had been forced to transition to another health management platform after efforts to integrate Afya.ke with the Social Health Authority (SHA) system failed.
He warned that switching off the system could affect patient records collected since 2023 and interrupt services as health facilities adjust to the new platform.
Kang’ata blamed the Digital Health Agency, the Ministry of Health and SHA for declining to certify Afya.ke as a system capable of exchanging health information.
“This is 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 will be interconnected to SHA and not shut down,” he said.
The governor defended the platform, saying it had helped automate hospital operations, improve healthcare delivery and increase revenue collection across the county.
According to Kang’ata, Murang’a’s annual health revenue collections rose from KSh 80 million to KSh 800 million following the introduction of Afya.ke.
“We used to collect about 80 million per year, but after we brought in Afya.ke, we pushed it to 800 million per year,” he said.
He cited developments at Murang’a Level 5 Hospital, Nyakianga Dispensary, Kirwara and Kandara hospitals, alongside the reopening of Kigumo Hospital, as examples of improvements in the county’s health sector.
Kang’ata also raised concerns over the cost of adopting the replacement system, which he referred to as Tibabu, arguing that the county would have to pay for a platform that differed from the free Afya.ke system.
“Afya.ke is free, but Tibabu, which we shall be joining, is not free,” he said.
The governor said the county had no option but to begin the transition, warning that healthcare services would have to be scaled down temporarily as staff and facilities adjusted to the new system.
“As a county, what shall we do? We have no option than to run. We have to scale down our services until we are able to join Tibabu,” he said.
He appealed to residents to give the county two to three days to complete the migration, expressing hope that normal services would resume by Monday, October 19.
Kang’ata maintained that his main concern was the potential loss of access to patients’ medical histories, warning that the disruption could complicate treatment for those returning to county health facilities.
The extent of any data loss and the duration of possible service interruptions had not been independently established at the time of his statement.
