As Kenya’s healthcare system faces challenges such as overcrowded public hospitals, staff shortage and increasing demand for services, a new category of digital tools is stepping in—health apps that use smartphones to provide solutions.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Kenya has fewer than two physicians per 10,000 people, which is below the global average.
Rural areas are particularly affected, with patients traveling long distances for basic care, highlighting the potential of digital platforms to support an overwhelmed healthcare system.
AfyaLink serves as a national connector, linking hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories and health apps through a secure data-sharing platform. It facilitates services such as e-prescriptions, insurance verification and patient referral tracking.
Through its Health Information Exchange (HIE) API gateway, developers can register and retrieve credentials to connect their applications or systems to shared registries, including those for clients, facilities, health workers and shared health records. This connectivity promotes true inter-operability among various health services.
While AfyaLink is not used directly by patients, it acts as the backbone for many other health service platforms, enabling them to communicate efficiently and securely with one another.
“Digital transformation is no longer an option—it is a necessity. We are ensuring that every Kenyan receives timely, efficient and affordable medical services,” said Dr Patrick Amoth, Director General of Health.
For individuals managing chronic illnesses, the DiaCare app is having a significant impact, as it allows users to log daily health metrics such as blood sugar levels and blood pressure, as well as their diet. The app can sync with wearable devices or allow manual entries and provides visual graphs to help users track health trends.
It also notifies care teams if a patient's data indicates potential health risks. Users can receive medication reminders and connect with clinicians who provide feedback via the app.
Meanwhile, Rafi enables users to complete guided daily mental health check-ins and offers self-help content as well as peer support.
In terms of community health, Amref Health Africa’s M-Jali platform enables community health workers (CHWs) to record household visits digitally. They can record patient history, vaccination records, nutritional information and referrals directly into a mobile app.
This data is synchronised in real time with county dashboards, enabling health administrators to monitor performance, identify gaps and assess outcomes. The system improves the tracking of mothers and children, replacing traditional paper-based records.
“Since its launch in 2016, M-Jali has enabled CHWs to register households, report monthly data and make essential healthcare referrals. With over 3,900 CHWs trained, M-Jali has drastically reduced the reporting lag from three months to near real-time,’ said Amref Health Africa.
Zuri Health, which functions as both a mobile health app and a telemedicine platform, allows users to interact through various channels, including the mobile app, a WhatsApp chatbot named ‘Vera’, a web portal or SMS, making it accessible for both smartphone and basic phone users.
The app reduces doctors' fees by up to 40 percent and cuts transportation and delivery costs by up to 85 percent.
“To democratise access to healthcare, various channels need to be created,” explained Ikechukwu Anoke, founder of Zuri. “In addition to our website, mobile app and SMS service, we recognised the need to add Vera for users who prefer WhatsApp. Patients can consult a doctor for as little as Sh5 or about Sh250 via SMS, saving them costly hospital visits.”
Kenya's mobile health revolution is driven by a rapid increase in smartphone adoption, which now exceeds 90 percent, as well as a growing demand for convenient healthcare solutions.
According to the Digital 2024 Report for Kenya, over 7.49 million Kenyans used digital health tools in 2023—an increase of 13.3 percent from the previous year. Telemedicine alone served over 500,000 individuals, with users citing time savings and privacy as key benefits.
The Kenyan digital health market is expected to generate $245.85 million in revenue by 2025, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 3.74 percent between 2025 and 2029, reaching $284.70 million by 2029.
