MPs raise alarm over faulty smartphones issued to community health promoters
By Francis Muli, May 13, 2026A 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, with lawmakers claiming that most of the devices have stopped working.
Members of the Departmental Committee on Health, chaired by James Nyikal, questioned the effectiveness of the smartphone rollout programme during deliberations on the State Department for Medical Services’ 2026/2027 budget estimates.
The smartphones were distributed to about 100,000 CHPs across the country in late 2023 to support digital registration, data collection and reporting through the Electronic Community Health Information System.
The concerns emerged during a meeting attended by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga and Director General for Health Patrick Amoth.
During the session, PS Oluga revealed that the State Department had prioritised payment of Ksh876.9 million in pending bills related to the procurement of the smartphones.
The disclosure triggered sharp reactions from MPs, including Oron Joshua and Martin Owino, who questioned the value of the investment after reports that many of the devices had failed.
“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. Most of them say they cannot even log on to the gadgets where they are supposed to provide reports,” Oron said.
Similar concerns were raised by Mathenge Duncan and Lenguris Pauline, who said the malfunctioning devices were undermining delivery of healthcare data at the grassroots level.
Committee Chairperson Nyikal said the Health Ministry would be required to table a detailed report on the status and performance of the smartphones before Parliament could approve additional funding for procurement of more devices.
“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, PS Oluga acknowledged the concerns raised by lawmakers and pledged to provide the Committee with the necessary documentation and an assessment of the devices.
“We will provide the necessary documents to the Committee, including conducting an assessment of the performance of the phones,” Oluga said.
The concerns come at a time when the government is increasingly relying on digital systems to strengthen healthcare delivery and implement the Universal Health Coverage agenda across the country.