Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata has accused the national government of pushing county governments onto a privately owned health system, after the county's Afya.ke platform was disrupted. He spoke on Citizen TV's JK Live, where he explained the Murang'a health model.
Kang'ata said his administration revamped Afya.ke and rolled it out successfully in Murang'a. He claimed the national government later developed its own privately owned system and is now compelling counties to adopt it.
The row began in mid-October. The county dates the start of the switch-off to October 13, and the governor went public the next day.
He said the system had managed electronic medical records and supported healthcare delivery in the county since 2023.
He also argued that Afya.ke was provided to the county free of charge and raised concerns about the cost of moving to the national platform.
Kang'ata further claimed that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had promised him the system would be connected to the Social Health Authority (SHA) platform and not shut down.
The Ministry of Health rejects the accusation. It said it neither owns, controls nor manages Afya.ke, does not hold its source code and has not switched it off. Duale described the platform as a private arrangement between the Murang'a County Government and its developers.
He added that neither the developers nor the county have applied for certification. The ministry also said services under the national health insurance framework remain unaffected.
Kang'ata has countered by questioning how the platform could be private. He pointed out that all go.ke domains are registered under Treasury nameservers and that Afya.ke is listed by the Digital Health Authority.
The dispute raises wider questions about who controls health data in a devolved sector. Health is a county function, but standards, certification and insurance payments sit largely with the national government. Residents who rely on county hospitals are the ones most affected while the two sides trade claims.
Link; https://x.com/citizentvkenya/status/2118064908957024515?a=jaA6crE84CPgDftoEkE&s=19