Gertrude’s, M-PESA Foundation Expand Daktari Smart to 10 Counties, Target 50,000 Children

Daktari Smart, a telemedicine programme by Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation and the M-PESA Foundation, aims to reach more than 50,000 children with access to specialised paediatric healthcare and train 800 healthcare workers and 1,150 community health promoters across 10 underserved counties by August 2027 as it enters its second phase. The programme’s first phase has, so far, reached more than 27,000 children since its launch four years ago across Samburu, Homa Bay, Baringo, Narok and Lamu counties.

The programme’s second phase is anchored on the theme “Daktari Smart: Beyond Technology,” highlighting the importance of the people, systems and partnerships needed to translate telemedicine into sustained access to specialist care. The theme was also central to discussions during the Daktari Smart programme review in Lamu County, held from 23–24th September 2026, where partners and county stakeholders assessed implementation, utilisation, sustainability and integration of the programme into the local health system.

Dr Carol Waweru, Head of Impact Programmes at Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation, said, “The value of Daktari Smart goes beyond technology and into putting specialist knowledge within reach of children and families who may otherwise face long journeys, delays and additional costs to access care. As we move into the next phase, our focus is on strengthening the systems around telemedicine so that this access can be sustained.”

Rather than simply connecting technology, Daktari Smart is investing in Lamu’s own specialist nursing workforce. Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation has sponsored two nurses to undertake specialised Paediatric Nurse Training (PNT), one based at Mpeketoni Sub-County Hospital and one at Lamu County Referral Hospital (King Fahad Hospital). This forms part of a wider investment in building paediatric nursing capacity, with 205 nurses trained across the country to date. The programme is now looking towards a new phase of the training, which will introduce specialised paediatric oncology nursing, further strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers to manage complex childhood illnesses.

Dr Robert Nyarango, Getrude’s Children’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer and Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation Trustee, said, “An effective referral system is critical to ensuring children receive the right care at the right time. Through Daktari Smart, children in underserved areas can access specialised paediatric expertise from our main hospital in Muthaiga in real time. The programme will strengthen existing referral networks, helping healthcare providers identify when a child needs specialised care and enabling more children to receive it without unnecessary delays.”

The programme has recorded over 8,000 telemedicine sessions in 2026. Beyond remote consultations, the telemedicine service is leading to real treatment with patients identified through Daktari Smart progressing to receive free medical care from Getrude’s Children’s Hospital, for cases including cleft lip & palate, heart surgery and management of conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), illustrating the full referral pathway from level 3 and 4 health facilities, through specialist diagnosis, to definitive treatment.

It has now grown into a second phase operating across six sites, with a further five sites under construction ahead of service inception planned from October 2026. The expansion will see Daktari Smart move beyond providing remote specialist consultations to strengthening the systems that support access to care, including frontline health worker capacity building, referral pathways, county ownership and sustainable models for integrating telemedicine into routine healthcare.

Since the inception of the Daktari Smart programme in 2021, the M-PESA Foundation and Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation have jointly invested in telemedicine technology and infrastructure with specialist paediatric expertise and health system strengthening to improve access to care for children in underserved communities.

Joseph Ogutu, Trustee, Safaricom Foundation, said: “Through our partnership with Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, we have seen how technology can help address some of the barriers children and families face in accessing specialist healthcare. As we move into the next phase, our focus is on building on what we have learned, strengthening frontline health workers and referral pathways, and working with counties to ensure telemedicine becomes a sustainable part of healthcare delivery.”

Adding to his sentiments, Celestine Munda, Trustee, M-PESA Foundation, said: “This partnership is ultimately about making quality specialist care more accessible to children, regardless of where they live. By combining technology with stronger health systems and skilled healthcare workers, we can bring specialist expertise closer to the communities that need it most.”

Daktari Smart connects children in underserved communities with specialists at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital through real-time consultations. The platform combines specialist clinical support with technology including an electronic stethoscope, vital signs monitor, high-resolution camera, ultrasound, otoscope and ECG, enabling health workers at participating facilities to access specialist care without requiring families to travel long distances.

Data generated through the programme has provided insights into health-seeking behaviour, patient experience, waiting times and the transport-related barriers families face when seeking specialist care. These findings are being used to identify gaps in service delivery, strengthen implementation and inform the integration of telemedicine into county health systems.

Phase II preparations are underway, with service inception planned from October 2026 in Turkana, Kwale, Vihiga, Laikipia and Makueni. The programme is also expanding its capacity-building footprint in Lamu County: community-level training at facilities like Hindi Health Centre, Siyu Dispensary, Witu Sub-County Hospital and Mpeketoni Sub-County Hospital, and equipping healthcare workers and community health promoters to identify, refer and support children who need specialist care; strengthening the wider health system alongside the technology.

Read Also: Daktari Smart Set To Reach 32,400 Children