Digital Health Records Expanded Across Counties

Kenya’s Ministry of Health is rapidly scaling up its digital health infrastructure as part of the Taifa Care universal health coverage (UHC) transformation. According to the Ministry, the Comprehensive Integrated Health Information System is now fully operational in 17 counties, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Nandi, and Garissa — with more counties like Homa Bay, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Lamu to come online soon. This system digitizes patient records, facility operations, and medication tracking, enabling real-time monitoring of services and helping to root out inefficiencies such as fraud.
Community-level health services are also being transformed through the Electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS). The Ministry reports that over 8.8 million households have been registered on eCHIS, helping community health promoters screen for non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health risks, and more. In Nakuru County, for example, more than 2,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have received tablets to digitize household visits, patient information, and referrals — all of which feed directly into a unified national system.
Training is underway to support these changes. In Kiambu County, 3,000 CHPs are being trained on the SmartHealth-based eCHIS app, which is built on the community health toolkit platform. Meanwhile, Kirinyaga County is digitizing its health facilities with Electronic Health Information Systems, supplying tablets to health workers and transitioning away from paper-based records.
Digital transformation is also helping streamline health resource management and improve accountability. The Health Information Exchange (HIE) — which allows patient data to be shared securely across facilities — has now been expanded to 15 high-volume hospitals, according to Ministry reports. This interoperability supports continuity of care, reduces duplication of tests, and ensures that patient history follows them across counties.