The National Assembly Health Committee has approved the Ksh. 104 Billion health digitalization project by a consortium led by Safaricom.
The consortium includes Safaricom, Apeiro Ltd and Konvergenz Network Solutions Ltd with their mandate being to provide an Integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (IHTS System).
During the session, committee members questioned the role of Safaricom within the Consortium, particularly why it was designated as the lead partner of the Consortium.
A statement read by the Chair of the National Assembly Committee on Health Robert Pukose indicated that the Ministry of Health identified Safaricom PLC as a strategic partner and gave Safaricom a request for a proposal for the tender.
However, Safaricom had submitted its bid as consortium with Apiero Limited and Konvergenz Network Solutions Limited with Safaricom as the lead bidder. Safaricom’s role in the Consortium involves overseeing the entire project, ensuring that all Consortium partners adhere to the contract’s terms and deliver their respective components as per the agreed scope.
The Ministry of Health also highlighted Safaricom’s technological advantages, particularly its extensive 5G network, which currently reaches 77% of the Kenyan population. In addition, they maintained that Safaricom’s network covers over 99% of the country, providing connectivity in remote areas. These factors made Safaricom the most suitable partner for a large-scale project that requires robust and reliable digital infrastructure.
Members of the Committee also raised concerns regarding the procurement of the Integrated Information Technology System for Universal Healthcare particularly on the absence of a formal letter of consent from the Office of the Attorney General.
The statement indicated that the Ministry of Health had however presented the formal clearance by the Attorney-General thereby complying with all the legal requirements that were intended to safeguard public money through an assurance that there is value for money in any government transaction.
Members raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest in the due diligence process, specifically regarding the involvement of the law firm Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Mathews.
The Ministry clarified that the due diligence was conducted by Kaplan & Stratton Advocates, not Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Mathews as widely reported. The Ministry emphasized that there was no undue influence or conflict of interest affecting the legitimacy of the project.
According to the Ministry, the project involves the development of a Health Information Management System, a Health Information Exchange platform, core business services such as provision of telemedicine and track and trace for pharmaceutical products, the SHA Insurance Management Platform, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, National Logistics and Supply Chain Management software, a learning platform, a data lake and analytics system, as well as the necessary digital health infrastructure to support these systems.
The project also aims to establish a comprehensive infrastructure for Kenya’s digital health ecosystem.