WHX Nairobi 2026 Delivers Record Outcomes as East Africa Healthcare Sector Converges at KICC

8,500+ professional visits and 250+ exhibitors from 30 countries highlight growing focus on local manufacturing, smarter procurement and digital health

NAIROBI, KENYA — September 24, 2026 — World Health Expo (WHX) Nairobi 2026 has concluded at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), recording more than 8,500 professional visits and bringing together 250+ exhibitors from 30 countries as healthcare stakeholders pushed for greater investment, local manufacturing and stronger regional supply chains.

The three-day exhibition, held from September 16 to 18 under the patronage of Kenya’s Ministry of Health and with support from the Kenya Healthcare Federation, brought together manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, policymakers and investors from across East Africa and beyond.

The event placed particular emphasis on the opportunities and challenges facing the region’s healthcare sector, including local production of medicines and medical devices, procurement, digital health and cross-border partnerships.

Speaking at the opening, Dr Joe Lenai, Director for Primary Healthcare, Preventive and Promotive Health at the Ministry of Health, challenged manufacturers and medical equipment suppliers to look beyond selling hardware and invest in long-term service support.

“Africa must no longer be an equipment graveyard. For too long, expensive medical equipment has gone out of use due to unavailable spare parts, inadequate maintenance and insufficient technical skills,” Lenai said.

He called for comprehensive service-level agreements covering maintenance, spare-parts availability and development of local technical capacity.

According to Lenai, such measures would help African countries protect investments in healthcare technology while strengthening their ability to maintain equipment locally.

Kenya Targets Healthcare Manufacturing Growth

Lenai also pointed to Kenya’s ongoing legislative reforms as an opportunity to strengthen the country’s healthcare ecosystem and attract investment.

He cited the Primary Care Act, Social Health Insurance Act, Digital Health Act and Facility Improvement Financing Act, saying the reforms could support local manufacturing, innovation and partnerships while strengthening Kenya’s position as a regional healthcare hub.

The focus on manufacturing comes as East African countries seek to reduce dependence on imported healthcare products and build more resilient supply chains.

The exhibition brought together companies specialising in medical equipment and devices, diagnostics and imaging, hospital consumables and IT, orthopaedics, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, telemedicine and disease surveillance.

Digital Health Moves Up the Agenda

Digital health emerged as another major theme, with stakeholders examining how technology can improve access to healthcare, medicines and services beyond major urban centres.

Dr Anne Musuva, CEO of the Kenya Healthcare Federation, said the region is increasingly looking for digital health solutions that can move beyond isolated pilot projects and operate at scale.

“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,” Musuva said.

She identified Kenya’s private sector, digital-health framework, technical talent and public-health institutions as important components of its potential to expand digital health.

Cross-Border Investment and Procurement

WHX organiser Tom Coleman, Portfolio Director – Healthcare at inD, said the event provided a platform for international companies to connect with distributors, buyers and healthcare decision-makers across the region.

“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,” Coleman said.

Official delegations from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and other East African markets participated in the event, with discussions focusing on procurement and regional healthcare supply chains.

The participation of Indonesian companies also opened opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

Indonesian Ambassador to Kenya Witjaksono Adji said the exhibition provided an avenue for Indonesian and Kenyan companies to explore partnerships, investment and knowledge exchange in healthcare.

Supply Chains Key to Local Manufacturing

The importance of logistics and supply-chain infrastructure was also highlighted at the exhibition.

FedEx, the official WHX Platinum Partner and Networking Lounge Partner, facilitated connections between exhibitors and buyers during the event.

Leon Bruwer, Managing Director, Sales, Sub-Saharan Africa at FedEx, said efficient supply chains would be critical to Kenya’s ambition to expand local production of medicines and medical devices.

“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,” Bruwer said.

The WHX portfolio includes healthcare exhibitions in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg, creating a platform connecting global healthcare companies with distributors and buyers across African markets.

WHX Nairobi 2026 concluded with stakeholders calling for stronger collaboration between governments, manufacturers, investors, healthcare providers and technology companies to build a more resilient and locally anchored healthcare ecosystem in East Africa.

The next edition of WHX Nairobi is scheduled for September 15–17, 2027, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.