The High Court in Murang’a has temporarily stopped the National Government from meddling in Murang’a County’s Afya.KE digital health system, offering relief to Governor Irungu Kang’ata’s Administration, amid disruptions that have forced public hospitals to revert to manual patient records.

Justice Dorah Chepkwony, certified a petition by the County as urgent and issued orders restraining the National government from interfering with or shutting down the system, which has been operational since 2023 and connects 176 health facilities.

 The Court intervention follows complaints that the disruption of Afya.KE had made patients’ health records inaccessible, forcing health workers to reconstruct medical records manually and slowing service delivery in public health facilities.

The petition, filed by Murang’a County Attorney, James Kuria, seeks the restoration of the platform to ensure continuity of healthcare services and safeguard access to patients’ records.

 “The application will be served to the respondents and interested parties within three days, and they are expected to file and serve their responses within seven days,” Justice Chepkwony ruled. The matter is scheduled for mention on November 18.

Ministry of Health, Digital Health Agency, Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Attorney General, have been named as respondents in the case.

The Council of Governors and the County governments of Murang’a, Kiambu and Nairobi, are listed as interested parties.

In its petition, the County government argues that the loss of access to Afya.KE has undermined the efficiency of hospital operations, particularly the retrieval of patients’ medical histories and the management of digital health insurance claims.

Kuria said the system had enabled the County to digitize healthcare services by integrating patient information, supporting clinical processes and improving the management of health facilities.

The County is also seeking to restore access to the Afya.KE platform, to enable hospitals to lodge, submit, track and process claims under the SHA framework.

 The dispute has raised concerns over the continuity of digital healthcare services in Murang’a, which serves patients from neighbouring counties, including Kiambu, Nyeri, Machakos and Kirinyaga.

According to the petition, the county’s telemedicine programme attended to 76,185 patients between January and June through 36 health facilities, highlighting the role of digital technology in extending access to medical services.

The county argues that the replacement system, Tiberbu HMIS, lacks the capacity to support the telemedicine module available under Afya.KE, raising concerns about the continuity of virtual consultations and other integrated services.

Afya.KE has also served as a repository for patients’ medical histories since its introduction in 2023, enabling health workers to retrieve information that helps inform diagnosis and treatment.

The disruption has reportedly forced clinicians to return to paper-based records, spending additional time documenting patients’ histories and retrieving information during consultations. The resulting delays have contributed to longer queues and increased pressure on health workers.

In the court papers, the county maintains that its investment in digital health management was intended to improve the efficiency, reliability and quality of services delivered to residents.

The court’s intervention provides temporary relief as the parties prepare to present their responses and the dispute proceeds through the judicial process.

The case is expected to determine the way forward for Afya.KE and the continuity of the digital services that Murang’a County says are essential to the delivery of healthcare.

by Bernard Munyao