World Health Expo Nairobi 2026 Kicks Off as Kenya Calls for Stronger Medical Equipment Support

By Gedion Nzyoki -

Nairobi, Kenya | September 16, 2026 — Kenya has called for stronger partnerships with medical equipment manufacturers to address maintenance, spare-parts and technical support challenges affecting healthcare facilities across the country.

The World Health Expo Nairobi 2026, running from September 16–18, 2026, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, has brought together healthcare stakeholders, medical technology manufacturers, innovators, policymakers and exhibitors from across the globe.

Speaking on Wednesday morning on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and the State Department for Health during the official opening of the expo, Dr. Joe Lenai, Director in the Office of the Principal Secretary, State Department for Health, said Kenya's healthcare reforms must be matched with practical tools and reliable medical equipment.

“However, policy must be matched by practical tools.”

Kenya Trains Over 107,000 Community Health Promoters

Lenai highlighted the government's efforts to strengthen primary healthcare, noting that more than 107,000 community health promoters have been trained, equipped and deployed across all 47 counties.

He said each promoter has been provided with an integrated digital platform to support household-level healthcare.

The government has also established the Social Health Authority (SHA) as part of efforts to expand access to healthcare and reduce financial barriers to essential services.

Lenai said Kenya's health reforms are anchored on four key laws: the Primary Healthcare Act, Social Health Insurance Act, Digital Health Act and Facility Improvement Financing Act.

Kenya Calls for Action on Medical Equipment Challenges

The health official challenged manufacturers, aggregators and vendors exhibiting at WHX Nairobi to provide comprehensive support beyond the sale of medical equipment.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Africa must no longer be an equipment graveyard.”

Lenai noted that expensive medical equipment in some African health facilities remains idle because of unavailable spare parts, power challenges, inadequate maintenance and insufficient technical skills.

“We must change this approach,” he added.

He called for comprehensive service-level agreements that guarantee maintenance support and the availability of spare parts.

Lenai also urged manufacturers to facilitate technology transfer and training for Kenyan and African biomedical engineers and technicians. He further called for partnerships to establish mobile and stationary calibration laboratories to ensure medical equipment operates safely, accurately and throughout its intended lifespan.

25 Countries Showcase Medical Technologies

The World Health Expo Nairobi has attracted exhibitors from about 25 countries, showcasing medical equipment, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products.

Lenai welcomed the international participation, describing the expo as an opportunity to strengthen Kenya's healthcare supply chain and facilitate direct engagement between manufacturers and public health buyers.

He particularly recognized the participation of the India Pavilion, led by the Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices, the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) and other Indian healthcare engineering and solution providers.

“India's growing medical technology ecosystem offers high-quality, robust and cost-effective solutions that respond to the realities of developing health systems,” Lenai said.

He added that direct engagement between manufacturers and public health buyers could help reduce unnecessary intermediary costs.

Counties Urged to Consider Equipment's Full Life-Cycle Cost

Lenai further urged county health leaders, clinicians and procurement officers to look beyond the initial purchase price when acquiring medical equipment.

He encouraged them to consider the equipment's total life-cycle cost, energy efficiency, maintenance requirements and training commitments.

“To our county health leaders, clinicians and procurement officers, I encourage you to engage actively with the exhibitors and assess not only the purchase price of equipment but also its total life cycle cost, energy efficiency, maintenance requirements and training commitment,” he said.

Lenai expressed hope that partnerships developed during the three-day expo would translate into functional primary healthcare facilities, resilient referral hospitals, stronger local manufacturing capacity and a more self-reliant African health sector.