Kang’ata links AfyaKE shutdown to refusal to abandon DCP for UDA

Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has linked the disruption of the county’s AfyaKE digital health system to his refusal to abandon the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) for the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), escalating tensions between his administration and the national government.

Speaking in a video seen on Monday, Kang’ata defended his decision to remain in DCP, insisting that political pressure would not force him to change parties.

“Whatever they will do to us, we will not leave the DCP. The people of Murang’a are the owners of the DCP. We will remain as one,” he said.

The governor also accused the government of taking control of documents relating to Murang’a’s health facilities, claiming the disruption had left medical personnel uncertain about the system they were expected to use.

“The government has taken the documents of the people of Murang’a Hospital. They have taken them, they have collected them. Now, our doctors do not know where they are going. They do not know what kind of hospital they are going to,” Kang’ata said.

He maintained that his administration had invested heavily in digitising healthcare services and warned that patients were now facing difficulties accessing their medical histories.

“We have told them that this system is already broken. In fact, this system does not have telemedicine. In the last four years, we have done a very difficult job of doing automation in Murang’a County,” he maintained.

The governor explained that the county had connected dispensaries to its digital health infrastructure and introduced systems to help identify patients with chronic illnesses. He warned that the disruption threatened progress made in managing healthcare records and providing remote consultations.

“We have installed all the dispensaries. We have started to make people aware that they have chronic ailments,” he maintained.

He added that the county intended to restore its services, including telemedicine, within two weeks.

“After two weeks, we will be back. Telemedicine will continue.”

The county boss also warned that patients were unable to access their medical records when seeking treatment at public health facilities, raising concerns about disruptions to healthcare services.

The dispute centres on AfyaKE, a digital hospital management platform used by Murang’a County to store patient information and manage healthcare services.

The system supports electronic medical records, billing and telemedicine, among other functions.

Kang’ata has said the county adopted and customised the platform to automate its health facilities and expected it to be integrated with the national government’s digital health infrastructure rather than discontinued.

The disagreement intensified after the system became inaccessible ahead of the October 30 deadline for transitioning to the national Health Management Information System, known as Tibabu.

However, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has denied that the Ministry of Health shut down AfyaKE, saying the ministry neither owns nor controls the platform.

He has also said the system’s developers and the county government had not applied for certification by the Digital Health Agency.

The ministry has maintained that the transition to the national platform should not interrupt healthcare services.

The health dispute comes months after Kang’ata announced that he would not seek re-election as governor on a UDA ticket, before joining DCP, led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Kang’ata has previously criticised UDA’s political strategy and cited concerns about political intolerance as reasons for his decision to leave the ruling party.

Kang’ata’s remarks have widened the political dispute surrounding AfyaKE, despite the government denying responsibility for its shutdown, while Murang’a County faces the challenge of restoring access to patient records and maintaining services, including telemedicine, during the transition to the national system.