{"id":10468,"date":"2026-09-24T08:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T08:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/?p=10468"},"modified":"2026-09-24T08:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T08:05:25","slug":"whx-in-nairobi-2026-delivers-record-outcomes-as-east-africas-healthcare-sector-converges-at-kicc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/2026\/09\/24\/whx-in-nairobi-2026-delivers-record-outcomes-as-east-africas-healthcare-sector-converges-at-kicc\/","title":{"rendered":"WHX in Nairobi 2026 delivers record outcomes as East Africa’s healthcare sector converges at KICC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WHX in Nairobi 2026 delivers record outcomes as East Africa’s healthcare sector converges at KICC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHX in Nairobi 2026 welcomed 8,500+ professional visits and 250+ exhibitors from 30 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Africa must no longer be an equipment graveyard – manufacturers and vendors must provide more than hardware,” said Dr Joe Lenai, Director for Primary Healthcare, Ministry of Health Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWHX shows that East Africa’s healthcare sector is ready to move from fragmented pilots to investable, interoperable solutions that can operate securely at scale and benefit underserved populations,” said Dr Anne Musuva, Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Healthcare Federation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare leaders identified local manufacturing, smarter procurement and scalable digital health as priorities for East Africa’s next phase of healthcare growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nairobi, Kenya | September 2026: World Health Expo (WHX) in Nairobi 2026 concluded this week at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) with record-breaking attendance, business generation, and deal-making activity, cementing its position as East Africa’s most commercially focused healthcare event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 10th edition of WHX in Nairobi, held under the patronage of the Ministry of Health, Kenya, with support from the Kenya Healthcare Federation, brought together more than 8,500+ professional visits, buyers, distributors, and decision-makers from across the region and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event also brought together more than 250 international companies representing 30 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Joe Lenai, Director for Primary Healthcare, Preventive and Promotive Health, Ministry of Health Kenya, alongside Witjaksono Adji, Indonesian Ambassador to Kenya, and Tom Coleman, Portfolio Director – Healthcare, inD, organiser of WHX, among other dignitaries, cut the ribbon to officially open WHX at KICC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ceremony marked the start of the three-day exhibition running from 16\u201318 September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also in attendance at the opening ceremony were Ms Mary Muriuki (Mary Muthoni), Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Mazyanga Lucy Liwewe Mazaba, Regional Director for the Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre of the Africa CDC, and Alex Oketch, General Manager East Africa, GE, were also present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their presence represented the private sector’s commitment to advancing healthcare infrastructure and technology across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Lenai used the opening ceremony to encourage manufacturers, aggregators, and vendors to move beyond hardware supply and commit to long-term service support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Africa must no longer be an equipment graveyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For too long, expensive medical equipment has gone out of use due to unavailable spare parts, inadequate maintenance and insufficient technical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We must change this approach. I therefore call upon all manufacturers, aggregators and vendors at WHX to provide more than hardware,” said Dr Joe Lenai, Director for Primary Healthcare, Preventive and Promotive Health, Ministry of Health Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We need comprehensive service-level agreements that guarantee maintenance support, availability of spare parts and the development of local technical capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This will help build a more sustainable healthcare system and strengthen Africa’s capacity to maintain and support the technologies it invests in,” added Lenai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Lenai also highlighted Kenya’s legislative reforms to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Kenya is advancing a sustainable, equitable and people-centred healthcare system through transformative laws, including the Primary Care Act, the Social Health Insurance Act, the Digital Health Act and the Facility Improvement Financing Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These reforms are helping to create a stronger and more sustainable healthcare ecosystem, while supporting opportunities for local manufacturing, investment, innovation and partnerships that can strengthen Kenya’s role as a healthcare hub for East Africa,” noted Lenai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Coleman, Portfolio Director \u2013 Healthcare, inD, organiser of WHX, highlighted the event’s regional significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“World Health Expo in Nairobi is the largest exhibition in the East African region for medical devices, laboratory equipment, pharmaceuticals and nutraceutical products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We had more than 250 international companies here in Nairobi this week for WHX, creating opportunities for investment, knowledge exchange and cross-border partnerships across the healthcare sector.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We also saw huge interest in digital health and how technology can strengthen healthcare infrastructure, improve access to medicines and support patients, not only in cities such as Nairobi, but also in rural and underserved areas,” noted Coleman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Categories on show included medical equipment and devices, diagnostics and imaging, consumables and hospital IT, orthopaedics, and digital and preventive health, including telemedicine and disease surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Indonesian Ambassador to Kenya, Witjaksono Adji, emphasised WHX\u2019s importance as a catalyst for bilateral healthcare cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Indonesia is proud to be represented here at WHX alongside some of our companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We had some meaningful discussions and explored new opportunities for collaboration between Indonesia and Kenya, particularly in the healthcare sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Events such as WHX provide an opportunity to strengthen partnerships, exchange expertise and explore possibilities for greater investment and cooperation between our two countries,” said Adji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event hosted official delegations from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and other East African markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These delegations facilitated cross-border procurement discussions and regional supply chain partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Anne Musuva, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Healthcare Federation, emphasised the role of WHX in demonstrating the region’s readiness for scalable, investable healthcare solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Kenya has the ingredients to become a regional digital-health leader: an active private sector, a statutory digital-health architecture, strong technical talent, experienced public-health institutions and a tradition of public\u2013private collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“WHX shows that East Africa’s healthcare sector is ready to move from fragmented pilots to investable, interoperable solutions that can operate securely at scale and benefit underserved populations,” said Dr Musuva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FedEx, the official WHX Platinum Partner and Networking Lounge Partner, supported and facilitated introductions between exhibitors and buyers throughout the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Kenya’s ambition to strengthen local manufacturing of medicines and medical devices depends on efficient supply chains and reliable cross-border movement of materials and finished products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“At WHX, we saw growing focus on building stronger healthcare ecosystems across Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As a Platinum Partner, FedEx is proud to connect manufacturers to suppliers and markets, helping them improve speed to market and compete regionally and internationally,” said Leon Bruwer, Managing Director, Sales, Sub-Saharan Africa, FedEx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WHX portfolio includes three key healthcare events in Africa, held in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The events form a unified platform that connects global brands with regional distributors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHX also sits alongside major continental health convenings, including the Africa Health ExCon (AHEC) in Egypt and the Africa CDC’s Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This creates a complementary ecosystem where policy, procurement and commercial capability reinforce one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save the date for the next edition of WHX: 15 – 17 September 2027 at Kenyatta Internationa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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