Case Study of Prospects of Digital Health for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya in: Elaine O. Nsoesie and Blessing Mberu (Editors) Urban Health in Africa

Abstract

This case study examines the prospects for digital health adoption and scaling in Nairobi, Kenya�drawing on experiences and data from public, private, and community health sectors. It highlights key enabling factors including mobile phone penetration, government policies such as Kenya�s Digital Health Bill and national eHealth strategy, and emerging applications like electronic community health information systems (eCHIS) and telemedicine platforms. The chapter evaluates barriers encountered�including limited infrastructure, intermittent connectivity, user capacity gaps, interoperability challenges, and policy and regulatory complexities�and offers recommendations for strengthening system-level integration, digital capacity-building, stakeholder collaboration, and inclusive governance. It underlines the potential of digital health technologies to improve health equity, service efficiency, and responsiveness in urban African settings.