Health services have been disrupted in Murang’a County after hospitals reportedly lost access to the AfyaKE digital health system.
The move has left facilities unable to retrieve patient records and process claims under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Governor Irungu Kang’ata said the shutdown had affected Level 2 and 3 facilities before spreading to Murang’a Level 5 Hospital, which he claimed was disconnected ahead of the October 30 migration deadline communicated by the Ministry of Health.
The governor faulted the national government for discontinuing the system before the county had completed its transition to the new Tibabu platform.
He warned the move threatened patients’ lives, disrupted service delivery and would increase operational costs.
“The switching off started yesterday and today Murang’a County Referral Hospital has gone off. This is endangering patients’ lives from a practical point of view,” Kang’ata said.
The governor said the county had automated its hospitals using AfyaKE since 2023 and had expected the platform to be integrated with SHA rather than discontinued.
He claimed Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale had assured him that AfyaKE would be interconnected with SHA, but the commitment had not been honoured.
Kang’ata said the shutdown would prevent patients from retrieving their historical medical records stored in AfyaKE, raising concerns about continuity of care when they sought treatment at different facilities.
He added that affected hospitals could not submit SHA reimbursement claims, threatening revenue collection and the financing of health services.
The governor further claimed that the disruption would affect other public institutions that had adopted AfyaKE, including the Department of Defence and hospitals in Tharaka Nithi county.
He criticised the transition on cost grounds, saying AfyaKE was available to the county free of charge, while institutions adopting Tibabu would pay two per cent per claim, capped at Sh5,000.
Kang’ata also said the county would scale down telemedicine services as health workers underwent training to use the new system, potentially limiting access to remote consultations.
AfyaKE replaced paper-based records with electronic files capturing patients’ diagnoses, medication, laboratory tests and bills. It also supported telemedicine.
The governor attributed the growth in the county’s annual health revenue from Sh80 million to Sh800 million to the system, saying it had sealed loopholes previously exploited to siphon public funds.
He cited developments at Murang’a Level 5 Hospital, Nyakianga Dispensary and Kirwara Hospital, as well as buildings at Kandara Hospital scheduled for launch, as projects supported by the additional revenue.
By Thursday, some health facilities had reportedly resorted to manual operations, with health workers relying on patients’ accounts of their medical histories.
The disruption also raised concerns about the county’s Kang’ata Care programme, which supports more than 42,000 vulnerable households, including those of persons with disabilities, orphaned households and people with chronic illnesses.
However, the Ministry of Health disputed the governor’s account, denying that it had switched off AfyaKE or blocked its use in Murang’a.
In a statement signed by Duale, the ministry said it neither owned nor controlled the platform, describing it as a private arrangement between the county government and its developers.
“To set the record straight, the Ministry of Health has not switched off the AfyaKE system. The ministry neither owns, controls, nor manages the system, nor does it have the source code, contrary to the allegations,” Duale said.
The ministry also rejected claims that the Digital Health Agency (DHA) had refused to certify AfyaKE, saying neither the developers nor the county government had applied for certification.
“The governor should therefore refrain from making misleading statements that could misinform the public and cause unnecessary concern among residents and healthcare stakeholders,” he added.
The CS maintained that the transition to digital health systems should not interrupt services, assuring residents that all SHA beneficiaries in Murang’a would continue accessing healthcare through established systems.
The ministry said it remained committed to supporting the county’s digital health agenda, as well as those of other counties, and ensuring continuity of healthcare services.
The ministry’s response differed sharply from Kang’ata’s account of the shutdown. While the county warned of disruptions to patient care and hospital operations, the national government maintained that it had neither switched off nor controlled AfyaKE.
