Speaking during an interview on JKLive, Kang’ata said Murang’a had revamped Afya.ke and successfully implemented it across the county. He claimed the national government later developed another system, which he described as privately owned, and began requiring county governments to adopt it.
The governor said he proposed linking the two platforms so the national system could exchange information with Afya.ke without forcing Murang’a to abandon its existing technology. According to him, the proposal was rejected.
The disagreement is part of a wider dispute between Murang’a County and the Ministry of Health over the transition to a national digital health platform. Afya.ke has been used in county facilities to manage patient information and support hospital operations.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has disputed Kang’ata’s account of the ministry’s role. He said the ministry did not own, control or manage Afya.ke and had not switched it off. He described the platform as a private arrangement between the county government and its developers.
The ministry has also said neither Murang’a County nor the developers had applied to the Digital Health Agency for certification. It maintains that Social Health Authority beneficiaries in the county would continue accessing healthcare through established national systems.
Murang’a County moved to court over the disruption, and the High Court issued temporary orders restraining the national government from interfering with or shutting down Afya.ke.
Kang’ata’s comments underline the county’s position that the two systems could have been connected instead of replacing one with the other. The dispute remains unresolved, with the future use of Afya.ke still at the centre of the disagreement.
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