HomeExploring a legal framework for digitally delivered healthcare
Technology is increasingly part of how people request appointments, consult healthcare professionals, receive information and manage health services. The development of digital-health systems also creates questions about service standards, responsibilities, confidentiality, equitable access and the relationship between national and county health functions.
Senator Hamida Ali Kibwana sponsored the E-Health Bill, 2023 (Senate Bills No. 32 of 2023). The proposed legislation addresses digital healthcare, including telemedicine and mobile-health arrangements, and aims to provide an institutional framework for services delivered through electronic means. Source
The initiative is part of her recorded parliamentary work on healthcare access. It sits alongside statements she has sought on the availability and cost of treatment for patients with conditions such as cancer and obstetric fistula. The bill itself is a legislative proposal, however, not a functioning nationwide e-health program operated by her Senate office.
What the proposal seeks to address
A sound e-health framework can clarify how remote services fit into the health system, who carries responsibility for different functions and what protections are needed when technology is used in care. In a country with substantial geographic differences in access to specialists and facilities, these are important questions for legislators and health institutions to examine.
The bill’s progress must be reported accurately. The official Senate Bills Tracker dated 16 October 2026 still identifies the proposal as being at Second Reading. It has not been established as an enacted Act. Source
Legislative timeline
2023: Bill published, introduced and referred to the Senate health committee.
16 October 2026: Official Senate tracker lists it at Second Reading. Source
Source documents
Research reviewed 23 October 2026. Legislative stages retain their source dates.