Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told Citizen TV that the digital health platform used by Murang’a County was hosted on a system owned by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, not on a Ministry of Health platform.

Duale noted that Murang’a was one of three counties – alongside Makueni and Tharaka Nithi – that operated the NIS‑hosted system before the other two counties migrated to the National Digital Health Integration System managed by the Digital Health Agency (DHA).

He added that the Ministry of Health has been in talks with Murang’a Governor Mwangi Kang’ata for nine months to move the county’s health system to the national platform, but no agreement has been reached yet.

The county alleges that the Ministry shut down its AfyaKE platform, disrupting patient‑record access and claim processing for the Social Health Authority, and has taken the matter to court.

Court filings claim that more than 170 health facilities in Murang’a were unable to operate normally after the shutdown, and that the replacement Health Management Information System (HMIS) lacks telemedicine capability.

The Ministry of Health has denied responsibility for the shutdown, stating it does not own, control, or manage the AfyaKE platform and does not possess its source code.

In an October 15, 2026 statement, Duale clarified that AfyaKE was a private arrangement between Murang’a County and its developers, and that neither the Digital Health Agency nor the Ministry had received a certification application for the system.

The Ministry’s position remains that it has not taken control of AfyaKE nor rejected any certification request, because no formal application has been submitted by the county or the developers.