Murang’a county has moved to court to compel the national government to restore its digital health system, warning that the disruption has affected healthcare delivery, patient records and millions of shillings in medical claims.
In a constitutional petition filed at the High Court in Murang’a, the county accused the Ministry of Health and other state agencies of disabling the afya.co.ke Health Management Information System (HMIS) without adequate transition arrangements.
The county wants the court to order the immediate restoration of the platform, which it says has supported operations in more than 176 public health facilities for three years.
County Secretary Newton Mwangi, in a supporting affidavit, claimed the system was switched off on October 14, leaving facilities unable to access patient information and process claims under the Social Health Authority (SHA) framework.
“The abrupt transition to alternative systems without adequate safeguards risks compromising patient care and disrupting essential healthcare services,” he said.
The petition names the Ministry of Health, Digital Health Agency, Health Cabinet Secretary, SHA and Attorney General as respondents. The Council of Governors and the county governments of Murang’a, Kiambu and Nairobi are listed as interested parties.
The county said it serves more than one million residents and patients from neighbouring counties.
It claimed the interruption had affected its ability to submit and process SHA claims, putting millions of shillings in revenue at risk. It also threatens Kang’ata Care, under which the county says it spent more than Sh200 million to provide SHA coverage to over 160,000 vulnerable residents.
However, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale denied that the national government had switched off the platform.
In a statement on October 15, he said the Ministry of Health neither owned, controlled nor managed Afya Ke and did not have its source code, describing it as a private arrangement between the county and its developers.
It said neither the county nor developers had applied for certification and assured residents SHA beneficiaries would continue receiving care through established systems.
The ministry urged the governor to avoid statements it said could cause public concern among residents.
The county is seeking interim conservatory orders compelling the Ministry of Health, Digital Health Agency, SHA, the Health Cabinet Secretary and Attorney General to restore and maintain access to the platform until the case is determined.
It wants to bar the respondents from disabling or replacing the system without a written agreement guaranteeing service continuity and data protection.
It also seeks to prevent deletion, withholding or destruction of patient records, which it says are essential for treatment decisions, follow-up care and chronic illness management.
The county raised concerns about migrating historical records to alternative licensed systems, including Tiberbu HMIS, which it claims lacks the telemedicine functionality available on afya.co.ke. It wants a verified migration plan and safeguards against information loss.
A major concern is the platform’s telemedicine module, which the county says has supported more than 25,000 patients with diabetes, hypertension, asthma, chronic lung and mental health conditions.
Telemedicine services operate across 36 facilities, allowing remote consultations instead of long journeys to hospitals, with 76,185 telemedicine consultations conducted between January and October 2026.
The county warned that losing access to the service could particularly affect patients requiring regular follow-up consultations and prescription refills, many dependent on affordable remote care.
“The historical patient data is essential for continuity of treatment, particularly for patients with chronic conditions who require regular monitoring and follow-up care,” the county maintained in its application.
The county administration wants the court to preserve the system while the dispute is heard, saying an abrupt transition could undermine the right to healthcare under Article 43.
It also cited consumer protection and fair administrative action provisions, arguing that the disruption affects its devolved healthcare mandate.
The dispute comes amid national government efforts to transition health facilities to approved digital health management systems under ongoing health reforms.
Last week, Governor Irungu Kang’ata announced that hospitals had been forced to operate manually following the shutdown, and had accused Duale of failing to honour his pledge to have the system would be integrated with SHA.
Instant Analysis
County Secretary Newton Mwangi, in a supporting affidavit, claimed the system was switched off on October 14, leaving facilities unable to access patient information and process claims under the Social Health Authority (SHA) framework.
The county wants the court to order the immediate restoration of the platform, which it says has supported operations in more than 176 public health facilities for three years.
