In Kenya, FHIR is being used for several healthcare data exchange use cases and is gaining strong momentum. FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a standard for exchanging healthcare information electronically.

The country uses modern FHIR versions, including R4, R4B, and R5. Older versions like DSTU2 and STU3 are not in active use.

We expect a strong increase in FHIR adoption over the coming years. This growth is driven by new national policies that require health systems to use FHIR and connect to the national Health Information Exchange.

Rules and Support

Kenya has clear regulations supporting health data standards:

  • Health data exchange is governed by national regulation.
  • FHIR is mandated by policy.
  • There is no fixed deadline for compliance yet.
  • No fines are currently imposed for non-compliance.
  • No government funds are currently available to support FHIR adoption.

You can read more in the Kenya National eHealth Policy 2016–2030.

National Setup

Kenya has a national body and active development of FHIR resources:

  • Standards organization: The Digital Health Agency (DHA) leads national health data standards.
  • Core implementation guide: A Kenya Core FHIR Implementation Guide is under development. You can preview the work-in-progress on the Intellisoft test server.
  • Terminology server: A national FHIR terminology server is currently in development. (A terminology server provides standardized codes and concepts used in healthcare records.)

Kenya is also exploring participation in the FHIR Community Process (FCP), which is a global program for developing and approving FHIR specifications.

Active Use Cases

Several FHIR specifications are being developed in Kenya, including:

  • Kenya Core Implementation Guide
  • eClaims
  • Referrals
  • ePrescription
  • Emergency care
  • Kenya Patient Summary (based on the International Patient Summary)

The International Patient Summary serves as the main international reference standard for these specifications.

Who's Using FHIR

The main organizations adopting FHIR in Kenya include:

  • Care providers
  • Payers and insurers
  • Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors
  • App developers
  • Clinical registries
  • Government agencies

The main reasons for adopting FHIR are:

  • Regulation and policy requirements
  • Improving health outcomes
  • Improving care workflows
  • Supporting innovation

Common FHIR tools in use include the FHIR REST API (a way to share data between systems), FHIR Questionnaires, and FHIR Shorthand (a simple language for writing FHIR specifications). Both open source and proprietary FHIR software are used, with a fairly balanced mix.

AI and machine learning are seen as strongly helping FHIR efforts, especially by speeding up how data is mapped and transformed into FHIR format.

Success Stories and Challenges

Successful FHIR projects in Kenya include:

  • eClaims
  • Referrals
  • Kenya Patient Summary
  • ePrescription
  • Public Health Surveillance

These projects have delivered:

  • Improved healthcare outcomes
  • Better access to information

The main challenges include:

  • High investment costs
  • Limited FHIR knowledge among implementers

To address these challenges, Kenya is running capacity-building workshops and exploring a certification and conformance process. This process will check that implementers meet quality standards before connecting to the Health Information Exchange.

Future Plans

Last year's progress matched expectations, and satisfaction with FHIR adoption is high.

Key achievements over the past year include:

  • Establishing a national standards organization
  • Introducing new regulation for health data standards
  • Developing new FHIR specifications for specific use cases

Expected next steps include:

  • Building out a national FHIR data model
  • Launching pilot projects with healthcare stakeholders
  • Expanding FHIR adoption across the healthcare system
  • Continuing development of national FHIR specifications

Kenya is in the early phase of FHIR adoption, but rapid acceleration is expected over the next one to two years. Within three years, the country expects to see major benefits, including cost savings, better care coordination, and a stronger digital health ecosystem.

Contributors

  • David Mukungi, Intellisoft Consulting Ltd

The above summary is based on the answers to the State of FHIR Survey 2026, organized by Firely and HL7 International.