Kenya Introduces Digital Health Records System

The Kenyan government is making a major push to digitize its health system. On 13 June 2025, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale officially launched a health facility digitalization initiative in Garissa County, marking a major step toward a nationwide electronic health records (EHR) system.
As part of this rollout, the Ministry of Health delivered 1,114 digital devices to public health facilities in Garissa to enable real-time access to patient information and streamline service delivery. Through the new Health Information Exchange (HIE), patients’ medical records can now be securely shared between hospitals, counties, and national health agencies — helping ensure continuity of care and reducing duplication.
Another landmark move is the launch of the Biometric Health Identification (BHI) system, introduced on 4 August 2025 at Kenyatta University Teaching, Research, and Referral Hospital (KUTRRH). The BHI uses fingerprint verification to help patients access healthcare without relying on physical documents, reduce fraud, and shorten wait times.
Kenya’s Comprehensive Integrated Health Information System (CIHIS) is central to this transformation. It digitizes key processes such as patient records, prescriptions, e-claims processing, and facility transactions, all to improve transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public health.