How drones are transforming Kenya's healthcare landscape

Drone services are increasingly being used to deliver essential medical supplies in Kenya, particularly in remote areas with poor infrastructure, offering what some view as a quicker and more efficient solution. 

The service was launched in Kenya in 2023, with the first drone taking off from the Muhoroni area in Kisumu County, western Kenya. During the launch, Kisumu County Governor Hon. Anyang' Nyong'o noted that drone technology would significantly reduce delays in the delivery of medical supplies, which are often caused by reliance on road transport, and improve access to life-saving interventions.

Since then, various initiatives have introduced drone deliveries in specific regions of Kenya. One notable example is the partnership between the Elton John AIDS Foundation, drone delivery company Zipline and Kisumu County, aimed at delivering medical supplies to communities living with or at risk of HIV, particularly in remote areas.

One of the key reported outcomes of the drone delivery initiative in Kisumu County has been the significant improvement in delivery speed.

"Health facilities that require vaccines and other essential medical supplies can now receive them within a few minutes of requesting them," reads a paper by Kenya’s Council of Governors. "This has greatly improved health delivery at the community level for more patients."

Research has confirmed that drones are considerably faster than traditional road-based methods for delivering medical supplies, especially in challenging environments. In one study, drones covered a 12-kilometre distance in just 20 minutes, compared to an hour by vehicle and up to five hours on foot in remote areas where conventional transportation is either impossible or impractical.

In another example, Kenya Flying Labs (KFL), a robotics knowledge hub, has partnered with South Korean firm NARMA Inc. to deliver emergency medical supplies in Tharaka Nithi County, eastern Kenya. Additionally, German firms Siemens and WingCopter have teamed up with Israeli company Elsmed to provide drone-assisted health logistics support in Uasin Gishu County, located in the North Rift region.

According to Florence Aketch, Kisumu County's Chief Nursing Officer, the use of drones has significantly reduced instances where hospital staff have had to close their facilities to collect medical supplies from depots. Now, she argued, these supplies are easily dispatched by drones, a crucial improvement in remote areas with limited staff at health facilities.

"It has increased the access to services. It is reducing the time a healthcare worker goes to fetch vaccines," Aketch said.

Aketch further highlighted the impact of drone delivery services for vaccines, noting that the technology also helps reduce the likelihood of stockouts, ensuring a more consistent supply of critical medical resources.

"Drones are reducing the chances of stockouts because whenever there is a need, the staff can order. There is ready availability of vaccines at the warehouse."

Kenya’s poor infrastructure

The poor state of infrastructure in many parts of Kenya makes these areas difficult to access, complicating the delivery of essential services such as healthcare.

Research indicates that, on average, health facilities in Kenya are located at least 2 kilometres from the nearest road of reasonable quality, with distances ranging from 0 to 95 kilometres. Additionally, surveys have highlighted poor access to essential utilities, such as stable electricity and ICT, further complicating healthcare delivery in these areas.

"Where someone needs blood or medicine urgently, the drones are deployed," Cleopa Otieno, CEO of KFL, told FairPlanet.  

Otieno outlined several prerequisites for operating a drone in Kenya, including obtaining a Remote Air Operator Certificate, ensuring that drone pilots are certified by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, securing an import permit and acquiring various statutory approvals.

Otieno noted that the zero-rating of drone imports in Kenya is a positive step toward reducing costs, which in turn makes it more affordable for additional firms to adopt the technology.

"In rural areas where we have poor infrastructure, drones come in handy to provide such support. Take the situation where we are trying to save lives, such as of a mother who has just delivered and urgently requires blood or a victim of a snake bite."

Tharaka Nithi, where his firm operates, is an arid region with hilly terrain and parched soils, supporting only sparse vegetation. The poor road conditions in many parts of the area make vehicular transport impractical for quick tasks.

"The drone easily cuts a road journey by more than half, since it can travel in a straight line from, say, a main hospital to a clinic. While ground transport would take up to an hour to cover a distance of 60 kilometres, a drone would easily cover the distance in around 10 minutes."

Regulatory challenges

Otieno pointed out several challenges facing drone delivery services in Kenya, including a limited pool of locally qualified personnel to assemble and operate drones, as well as statutory regulations that have yet to be fully streamlined.

However, he noted that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) is currently reviewing the rules and expressed optimism that these issues will be addressed soon.

Drone operations in Kenya are governed by The Civil Aviation (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Regulations, 2020, which outline the conditions for various aspects, including the importation of drones, eligibility for ownership and the qualifications required to operate drones within the country. They also detail the penalties for drone misuse.

In addition to their role in health logistics, drones have been utilised in various other sectors in Kenya, where they contribute significantly to improving the speed, safety and efficiency of daily operations.

Drones are also being employed in agriculture for tasks such as real-time crop monitoring and crop spraying. In transport, they assist with logistics, while in media, they play a key role in capturing aerial footage. Additionally, in the security sector, drones are used for patrolling worksites, among other applications across multiple industries.

Elsewhere in Africa

Several other African countries have also adopted drone technology to support health logistics. In Malawi, drones have been successfully deployed to transport medicines to areas where they are urgently needed. Rwanda became the first country in the world to use drones for delivering health supplies to rural hospitals.

Similar initiatives have also been launched in Eswatini and Ghana.

Image by Alessio Soggetti.