Residents of Makueni will benefit from improved access to specialist treatment, faster emergency care and enhanced surgical services after the county government signed an Internet deal.
The country will partner with Mawingu Networks and Proximie to provide subsidised hospital-grade Internet connectivity to rural public health facilities.
The agreement will see qualifying public health facilities receive high-performance, uncapped broadband connectivity at heavily subsidised rates.
This will enable them to access modern digital health tools that have traditionally been out of reach due to high connectivity costs.
The rollout, described as the first county-level initiative of its kind in Kenya, will begin with 17 public health facilities across Makueni, with priority given to rural and subcounty hospitals
The project aims to bridge the digital divide in healthcare by equipping facilities with reliable Internet capable of supporting real-time surgical collaboration, specialist consultations and other digital health services.
Under the arrangement, Mawingu will conduct site assessments and deploy either Starlink satellite or terrestrial broadband infrastructure, depending on the suitability of each facility.
The connectivity package is expected to provide performance standards comparable to those available in major urban hospitals.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior described the partnership as a major step towards improving healthcare access for residents in rural areas.
“This is a landmark moment for healthcare in Makueni. For too long, world-class digital health tools have been out of reach for our rural and subcounty facilities, not because the technology did not exist, but because the connectivity needed to power it was unaffordable,” Governor Mutula said.
He added; “We are bringing the same standard of digital infrastructure available in Nairobi’s leading hospitals into the wards and theatres that serve our residents every day, and we are doing it sustainably. This is so that the families of Makueni receive better, faster and safer care regardless of where they live.”
Mawingu chief executive officer Farouk Ramji said reliable connectivity has become a critical component of quality healthcare delivery and should not be a barrier for rural hospitals.
“Through this partnership with Makueni county and Proximie, we are bringing premium, hospital-grade Internet to facilities that have historically been priced out of the digital economy, and at a price point that makes county-wide adoption realistic, not aspirational,” Ramji said.
He noted that the project would support better clinical collaboration, faster access to specialist expertise and improved patient outcomes for communities that have traditionally faced connectivity barriers.
Proximie’s Head of Global Health Dr Shannon Shibata-Germanos said the collaboration will help strengthen surgical care in underserved areas.
“Digital collaboration in healthcare can only succeed when supported by reliable connectivity infrastructure,” she said.
“Through this partnership with Makueni county and Mawingu, we are helping create an environment where clinicians at subcounty hospitals can access real-time specialist support, receive mentorship and collaborate more effectively,” she said.
The initiative builds on Mawingu’s role in the Microsoft-Starlink rural connectivity programme and is expected to support broader digital transformation efforts within the county’s healthcare system.
In addition to connectivity deployment, participating facilities will receive ongoing technical support, performance monitoring and maintenance from Mawingu
The partners also indicated they would explore opportunities for further grant funding and expansion of subsidised connectivity infrastructure to more public health facilities across the county.
