A Parliamentary Committee has raised concerns over the quality and functionality of smartphones distributed to Community Health Promoters (CHPs) under Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.
The concerns emerged during a meeting of the Departmental Committee on Health at Bunge Towers, where lawmakers reviewed the State Department for Medical Services’ Budget Estimates for the 2026/2027 financial year.
The smartphones were distributed in late 2023 to support digital registration, reporting, and data collection through the Electronic Community Health Information System.
The programme targeted 100,000 CHPs across the country and was designed to strengthen primary healthcare delivery at the grassroots level.
However, Members of Parliament said the devices have failed to meet expectations, with many reportedly becoming faulty only a few years after distribution.
MPs Raise Concerns Over Faulty Devices
Committee Chairperson James Nyikal led members in assessing the programme’s performance and whether taxpayers obtained value for money from the procurement process.
The matter emerged after Medical Services PS Ouma Oluga revealed that the ministry had prioritised the payment of Ksh 876.9 million in outstanding invoices related to the procurement of the phones.
The discovery sparked strong reactions from MPs, notably Oron Joshua and Martin Owino, who claimed to have personally engaged Community Health Promoters and confirmed numerous device failures.
“I interact with the CHPs, including recently, and I confirm that over 60 per cent of the phones distributed to the grassroots health workers do not work,” said Oron.
He added that many health promoters were unable to log into the gadgets to submit reports, raising concerns about the reliability of the government’s digital health strategy.
Similar concerns were echoed by Mathenge Duncan and Lenguris Pauline, who questioned the quality assurance measures used during procurement.
Committee Demands Accountability
The Committee warned that additional funding for new smartphones would not be approved until the ministry submits a detailed report on the condition and performance of the current devices.
“Kenyans need value for their money. We cannot allocate more money for the ministry to buy smartphones that did not work,” said Nyikal.
Health CS Aden Duale, Director General for Health Patrick Amoth, and PS Oluga appeared before the committee to respond to broader health sector expenditure concerns.
In response to the criticism, PS Oluga said the ministry had taken note of the issues raised and would provide the committee with the necessary documentation, including an assessment of the phones’ performance.
