- Duale argues that while Makueni and Tharaka-Nithi counties migrated to ministry-owned platforms, Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata opposed the migration.
Murang’a County’s health system, which has been reportedly shut down, was hosted on a platform owned by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said.
According to the health minister, three other counties had their health systems hosted on the NIS platform.
Duale argues that while Makueni and Tharaka-Nithi counties migrated to ministry-owned platforms, Murang’a governor Irungu Kang’ata opposed the migration.
“There were three counties that were using a system that did not belong to the Ministry of Health. And I'll say today that system belonged to the National Intelligence Service under President Uhuru's government, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, and Murang’a. And we sat with those other governors, and they all transitioned to the National Digital Health Integration System under the DHA,” said Duale in an interview on Citizen TV’s Sunday Live.
The health minister also claimed that for the last nine months, MoH has been holding talks with Kang’ata to have Murang’a’s health system migrated, but the parties are yet to agree.
Duale’s response follows Murang’a County’s claim that MoH had shut down its digital health platform, AfyaKE.
The county said the shutdown had disrupted health services as facilities were unable to retrieve patient records and process claims under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Murang’a would then move to court to challenge the shutdown of the Afya Ke digital health platform.
In court documents, the county claimed that MoH, through its agents, switched off the digital system as part of the transition to the Health Management Information System (HMIS), leaving more than 170 health facilities unable to operate normally.
The county argued that HMIS lacks the capacity to support telemedicine, a function it says is central to healthcare delivery in its facilities.
However, the ministry denied claims by Governor Kang’ata, saying it neither owns, controls, nor manages the system, nor does it have the source code, contrary to allegations by the governor.
“The system is a private arrangement between the County Government of Murang’a and its developers. The Digital Health Agency (DHA) has also not refused to certify the Afya Ke system. Neither the Afya Ke developers nor Murang’a County has applied for certification,” said Duale in a statement on October 15, 2026.