Kenya to pilot new health innovations as Touch Health and ECSA-HC sign regional MoU

Kenya is set to be among the first beneficiaries of a new regional health partnership following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday between Touch Health Tanzania and the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC).

Signed in Arusha, the three-year agreement aims to improve newborn health outcomes and strengthen the planning and deployment of health workers across ECSA-HC’s nine member states— with Kenya identified as a key pilot country.

The partnership brings together Touch Health’s technical expertise in digital health and innovation with ECSA-HC’s regional leadership and government coordination to confront two of the most pressing challenges in Kenya’s health sector: high rates of neonatal deaths and inefficient distribution of healthcare workers, especially in underserved counties.

Under the agreement, Kenya will soon begin piloting watotoCare, a digital postnatal follow-up system developed by Touch Health that supports early detection of danger signs in newborns and improves linkages to care at community level. The platform is expected to help reduce preventable neonatal deaths, which remain disproportionately high in the country.

Also slated for rollout in Kenya is the POA (Prioritization, Optimization, and Allocation) system—an HRH planning tool that uses data and algorithms to help county and national governments identify staffing gaps and allocate health workers more effectively. Touch Health will also support the capacity-building of planners and designers of community health programs, working alongside both national and county-level teams.

ECSA-HC, whose member states include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Lesotho, and Eswatini, will play a facilitative role in country engagement and ensure government buy-in for the joint initiatives. The organization will also integrate Touch Health into regional forums and help coordinate resource mobilization efforts with development partners and donors.

Speaking after the signing, Valerio Parisi, Chief Program Officer at Touch Health, emphasized the importance of Kenya’s involvement in setting the pace for the partnership. “Kenya’s commitment to digital transformation in health and its devolved system of governance provide fertile ground for innovations like watotoCare and POA to thrive,” he said.

ECSA-HC Director General Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe echoed the sentiment, noting that Kenya’s active engagement and leadership in regional health initiatives make it a natural front-runner in piloting scalable solutions. “This partnership builds on existing trust with member states like Kenya and opens new possibilities for cross-country learning and system-wide improvements,” he said.

The MoU also outlines data governance, with all information collected during the projects remaining under the ownership of ECSA-HC and respective member states. In Kenya’s case, data handling and publication will adhere strictly to national policies and be co-branded only with mutual consent.

As the collaboration begins, health experts in Kenya say the timing is critical. Despite recent gains in maternal and child health, over 60% of infant deaths in the country still occur within the first 28 days of life. Additionally, rural and arid counties continue to suffer from acute health worker shortages.

With this new partnership, Kenya is not only expected to benefit directly from practical solutions, but also help shape the regional roadmap for stronger, tech-enabled, and equity-focused health systems.