The Ministry of Health has denied claims by Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata that the national government shut down the county’s Afya.ke digital health system.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 15, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the ministry neither owns nor manages the platform and does not have access to its source code.
Duale described Afya.ke as a private arrangement between the Murang’a County Government and its developers, dismissing allegations that the ministry was responsible for switching it off.
“The Ministry has not switched off the Afya Ke system in the county,” CS Duale said.
He also clarified that the Digital Health Agency (DHA) had not rejected the system for certification, stating that neither the county government nor the developers had submitted an application for approval.
“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,” read the statement.
The ministry urged Kang’ata to avoid making statements it considers misleading, warning that such claims could cause unnecessary concern among residents and healthcare stakeholders.
Duale, however, assured Murang’a residents that beneficiaries of the Social Health Authority (SHA) would continue accessing healthcare services without interruption through the existing 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 noted.
He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to supporting Murang’a and other counties in strengthening their digital health systems and ensuring the continuity of healthcare services.
The statement follows Kang’ata’s earlier concerns that the shutdown of Afya.ke could disrupt hospital operations, limit access to patients’ medical records and force the county to transition to another health management platform.
The governor had also questioned the cost of adopting the replacement system and said the county might temporarily scale down services as health facilities adjusted to the new platform.
