A Parliamentary Committee has raised alarm over the quality of smartphones distributed to Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to support the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Members of the Committee on Health, led by chairperson James Nyikal (Seme), expressed concerns that most of the devices issued to 100,000 CHPs across the country three years ago had become faulty.
The smartphone distribution programme was launched in late 2023 to support digital registration, data collection and reporting through the Electronic Community Health Information System.
The concerns emerged on Tuesday evening during a meeting on the State Department for Medical Services’ Budget Estimates for the 2026-27 financial year.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga, and Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth appeared before the committee to respond to issues raised by MPs regarding expenditure plans in the health sector.
During the session, PS Oluga disclosed that the State Department had prioritised the settlement of Sh876.9 million in pending bills used to purchase smartphones for the health promoters.
The disclosure triggered sharp reactions from MPs, led by Oron Joshua (Kisumu Central) and Martin Owino (Ndhiwa), who said they had interacted with the health promoters and confirmed that most of the devices were not functioning.
Similar concerns were raised by Mathenge Duncan (Nyeri Town) and Lenguris Pauline (Samburu).
“I interact with the CHPs and I confirm that over 60 per cent of the phones distributed to the grassroots health workers do not work. Most of them say they cannot even log on to the gadgets where they are supposed to provide reports,” Oron said.
Nyikal said the ministry would be required to provide a report on the status of the devices before additional funds could be approved for the purchase of more smartphones.
“Kenyans need value for their money. We cannot allocate more money for the ministry to buy smartphones that did not work,” Nyikal said
In response, Oluga said the ministry had taken note of the concerns raised by the committee and would provide all the necessary documentation.
“We will provide the necessary documents to the committee, including conducting an assessment of the performance of the phones,” he said.
