NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 12 – Uasin Gishu County has received 548 digital devices for 131 public health facilities in a government-backed initiative aimed at modernizing healthcare and strengthening accountability.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said digitizing health systems will improve efficiency, transparency, and patient outcomes while curbing malpractice and entrenched impunity.
“This digital system is helping us detect fraudulent claims, ghost hospitals, and fake patients attempting to steal from the sector. We have already shut down nearly 1,000 facilities involved in fraud, and they will be forced to refund stolen money and face prosecution,” Duale said during the handover.
The initiative aligns with President William Ruto’s push to digitize the Social Health Authority (SHA) to safeguard resources and improve service delivery.
However, some citizens have voiced concern over being excluded due to lack of smartphones, which are increasingly central to accessing digital healthcare services.
“I feel like I’m being left behind in this digital wave. Not everyone can afford a smartphone, and without one, my access to healthcare seems to be slipping away,” one resident said.
Duale also met with Community Health Promoters, commending them for their frontline role in disease prevention, health education, and linking families to care, especially in rural areas.
In addition, the CS announced that Uasin Gishu will benefit from the National Equipment Services Programme (NESP), which will provide advanced equipment such as CT scans, digital X-rays, and mammograms. The tools will be supplied under a fee-for-service model requiring no upfront costs by county facilities.
The digitization drive is part of broader reforms in Kenya’s health sector aimed at boosting access, quality, and accountability, while addressing citizen concerns about inclusivity.
By Erick Malala
