A public clash has actually appeared in between Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata over the abrupt shutdown of the county’s Afya Ke digital health platform. The row centers on ownership, control, and nationwide combination of digital health care facilities.
In a main declaration provided on Thursday, October 15, 2026, Duale securely refuted claims that the Ministry of Health disrupted or turned off the system, clarifying that the Ministry neither owns nor manages the software application, nor does it hold access to its source
code.
“The Ministry of Health has actually not turned off the Afya Ke system,” Duale mentioned.
Duale defined the system as a personal software application arrangement in between the Murang ‘a County Government and its external innovation suppliers. He even more declined claims that the Digital Health Agency (DHA)declined to accredit the platform, clarifying that neither the county management nor the software application designers sent an official accreditation application.
“The Digital Health Agency(DHA) has likewise not declined to license the Afya Ke system. Neither the Afya Ke designers nor Murang’a County has actually requested accreditation,” Duale included.
Addressing prospective public alarm, Duale advised Governor Kang’ata to avoid making declarations that might deceive locals or develop panic throughout the health sector.
The Ministry assured Murang’a locals that Social Health Authority (SHA) recipients can access medical services effortlessly through recognized nationwide platforms.
Guv Kang’ata Rebuts Ministry Claims with Technical Evidence
Guv Kang’ata quickly declined the Ministry’s position, explaining the assertion that Afya Ke runs as a personal software application plan as “stunning” and “absolutely incorrect”.
Composing on social networks platform X, Kang’ata questioned how a personal platform might protect and run under a main state domain.
“Gosh, this is stunning. Completely incorrect. How does it have a go.ke domain?” Kang’ata published.
To validate his position, Kang ‘ata mentioned that other state organizations and public centers make use of the platform.
“Department of Defence; Tharaka Nithi and Kitengela Govt healthcare facilities– all have it,” he included.
The guv released a WHOIS domain registration screenshot showing that afyake.go.ke is signed up through the Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC) with nameservers hosted straight by the National Treasury: ns1.treasury.go.ke, ns2.treasury.go.ke, and ns3.treasury.go.ke
While domain nameservers show webhosting routing instead of direct software application source code ownership, Kang’ata provided the records to challenge the Ministry’s characterization of the platform as an external supplier setup.
Effect On Patient Records, Operations, and Costs
The digital conflict follows Kang’ata’s caution on Wednesday, October 14, that the platform’s abrupt disconnection threats locking health care employees out of vital electronic medical records throughout 165 county centers.
Kang ‘ata stressed that the shutdown broke earlier spoken guarantees from Duale guaranteeing to incorporate the regional software application with the nationwide Social Health Authority platform instead of taking it offline.
“This is regardless of Afya. Ke being a complimentary federal government system, and regardless of a pledge that was made to me by the cabinet secretary in charge of health, Mr Duale, in my existence that Afya.Ke would be adjoined to SHA and not close down,” Kang’ata stated.
In service throughout Murang’a because 2023, Afya Ke handles electronic medical records, diagnostic laboratory outcomes, prescriptions, and remote telemedicine assessments.
Kang’ata raised issues over monetary and functional concerns, keeping in mind that Afya Ke ran at no charge to the county federal government. He cautioned that moving health centers to a replacement platform might trigger functional hold-ups, sluggish client care workflows, and restrain real-time insurance coverage claim submissions to the Social Health Authority.
The disagreement highlights growing nationwide friction as the Ministry of Health works to standardize digital health care platforms and mandate unified medical information exchange structures throughout all 47 counties. Regardless of the disagreement, CS Duale declared the Ministry’s dedication to supporting county federal governments in updating regional digital health efforts securely and transparently.
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