Kakamega County embarks on health digitisation drive to boost service delivery in health sector
Western
By
Bernard Lusigi
| Aug 22, 2025
In a bid to improve health care delivery in Kakamega County, the county, through the department of health in partnership with Digital Health Agency, has commenced a comprehensive training program to equip officers in charge of health facilities across the county with digital skills.
The training targets to equip the health officers with the requisite skills to implement Taifa Care Hospital Management Information System (HMIS), a digital solution set to transform service delivery in the county’s public health sector.
Speaking during the training, CPA Livingston Imbayi, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health Services, said digitising healthcare is not just a technical process but a transformation in accountability, data accuracy, and patient outcomes.
"This is a new era of efficiency in patient care, revenue management, and decision-making, offering end-to-end visibility across all our facilities, and this will improve our services to our people,” said CPA Imbayi.
He added, “This partnership is due because we have a health facility fund where hospitals manage their own revenue, and this will help in ensuring we have accountability and seal any loopholes that give a leeway to financial mismanagement.”
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CPA Imbayi said the initiative aligns with Governor Fernandes Barasa’s healthcare agenda, which prioritises enhanced access to quality healthcare, improved efficiency in public service delivery, and the integration of modern technology into county operations.
Chief Officer for Medical Services Dr. David Alilah said digitisation will bridge the gaps faced in data reporting and disease surveillance, besides boosting accountability and financial management.
"Health is a huge department that requires a proper working system, and with this partnership, we are going to improve on our data surveillance and reporting and also improve on our financial management to ensure service delivery works to benefit our people," said Alilah.
Ms. Grace Tarbai from Digital Health Agency said the system is user-friendly and designed with the realities of county-level health systems.
"This initiative marks a significant shift from the previous Community Health Information System (CHIS), offering a more integrated, real-time and patient-centred approach to healthcare management, and it will enable our healthcare workers to improve the service delivery, especially in our public hospitals," said Tarbai.
The moves come barely three months after Barasa flagged off a consignment of essential drugs and medical supplies worth Sh60 million for distribution to all Level Two and Three health facilities across the county and directed the use of an automated system to curb cases of drug theft in public hospitals, improve efficiency, and accountability.
READ: Kakamega County Referral Hospital receives Sh32m drugs
Barasa said unscrupulous healthcare providers have been blamed for the disappearance of essential drugs in local health facilities.
"The drugs in our public health facilities will be safeguarded by an automated system to be installed in our facilities," said Barasa.
Governor Barasa said the issuance and receiving of drugs at the health facilities will be done through the automated system to seal any kind of leakages.
"We are using the health management system to monitor the drugs and seal all the loopholes that make it possible for individuals to smuggle out some of the drugs and take them to the private market," he added.
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