Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has dismissed claims that the Ministry of Health switched off Murang’a County’s Afya Ke system, insisting that the platform is privately owned and managed.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 15, Duale said the ministry neither owns nor controls the system and does not have access to its source code.
“The system is a private arrangement between the County Government of Murang’a and its developers,” Duale said.
The CS also denied claims that the Digital Health Agency (DHA) had refused to certify Afya Ke, saying neither the county government nor the developers had applied for certification.
His remarks came after Governor Irungu Kang’ata raised concerns over the system’s reported shutdown, questioning the circumstances surrounding its disruption.
Kang’ata challenged the ministry’s explanation, questioning why the platform uses a government domain if it is a private arrangement.
The dispute has raised concerns about the ownership of the system, its certification status and the transition to the national digital health platform.
Afya Ke has been used by Murang’a County to manage health records and operations in its facilities. The reported disruption has also raised questions about how healthcare workers will access patients’ medical histories and other records during the transition.
Duale urged the governor to refrain from making statements that could mislead the public and cause unnecessary concern among residents and healthcare stakeholders.
The ministry, however, assured residents that Social Health Authority (SHA) beneficiaries in Murang’a would continue accessing healthcare services through established SHA systems.
“The Ministry remains committed to ensuring the continuity of healthcare services and supporting the effective implementation of digital health systems across all counties,” the statement read.
The disagreement comes amid the wider transition towards digital health systems under the national healthcare framework, with questions over Afya Ke’s status remaining central to the dispute.