How AI could help fix Kenya's overstretched healthcare system

AI systems may also produce errors or reflect limitations in data, reinforcing the importance of responsible implementation, regulation and continued human oversight. [iStockphoto]

It is a Tuesday afternoon in one of Nairobi’s busy hospitals. The waiting area is overcrowded, tempers are rising and frustration is visible on patients’ faces. A nurse calls in the 50th patient of the day, while an exhausted specialist still has dozens waiting outside. This is routine for many healthcare workers in Kenya and across the world.

Under such conditions, even experienced clinicians can miss warning signs, delay diagnoses or overlook critical details, not because they lack competence, but because healthcare systems are stretched beyond their limits. This is the context in which artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare should be understood.

Yet  AI in healthcare often sparks understandable anxiety among clinicians. Some fear automation could replace jobs, while others worry that algorithm-driven recommendations may undermine clinical judgement and weaken the human connection at the heart of medicine. These concerns are valid, but they reflect uncertainty about implementation more than the technology itself.

Properly understood, AI is less “artificial” than “assisted” intelligence. It is a support tool that can help overstretched clinicians work more efficiently and safely while keeping human judgement at the centre of care.

AI-based systems can assist healthcare professionals in analysing medical images and laboratory data more efficiently, helping clinicians identify patterns that may support earlier intervention and more informed decision-making. AI can also reduce administrative burdens that consume valuable clinical time.

The same principle applies in surgical care, where robotic-assisted systems are increasingly being explored as tools that may support procedural planning and improve consistency while maintaining full clinician oversight. Rather than replacing healthcare professionals, these technologies are designed to complement clinical expertise within properly regulated healthcare systems.

Kenya continues to face growing demand for healthcare services alongside persistent shortages of healthcare personnel, particularly in specialised areas of care. 

The result is a healthcare system operating under sustained pressure, with direct consequences for access, efficiency and continuity of care. These pressures are also influencing patient behaviour, with many people increasingly turning to self-medication, pharmacies or online health information before seeking formal medical attention.

Kenya now has the Digital Health Act, 2023 and a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025–2030, with healthcare identified as a priority sector. However, regulation alone does not guarantee readiness. Many healthcare facilities still struggle with poor interoperability, including the inability to exchange structured patient information reliably across systems and institutions.

There is also the question of applicability. Many clinical AI tools currently available globally were trained using datasets from Europe and North America, where disease patterns, healthcare infrastructure and patient demographics differ significantly from those in Kenya and across Africa. Without proper local validation, there is a risk of deploying systems that are not fully aligned with local healthcare realities.

While AI has an important role in healthcare, it cannot replace the human presence at the bedside offering empathy, reassurance and compassion during moments of pain and uncertainty. AI systems may also produce errors or reflect limitations in data, reinforcing the importance of responsible implementation, regulation and continued human oversight.

Dr Kanyenje is the CEO & Founder of Metropolitan Hospital, Nairobi