“Women’s health is a nation’s wealth. When women thrive, families flourish, communities prosper, and economies grow.”
Yet, despite this truth, women in Kenya remain at the periphery of digital health advancements, limiting their access to essential healthcare services. The gender-digital divide is a matter of life and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed these inequalities, making it clear that women’s access to digital health solutions is not just a privilege but a fundamental right.
For many women, lack of access to mobile phones means being cut off from crucial healthcare services, emergency support in cases of abuse, and vital reproductive and maternal health information. Even those who do have access often face online harassment, cyberviolence, and digital exclusion, exacerbating mental distress and raising safety concerns. However, digital health remains a powerful tool, one that can connect women to care, and empower them to take charge of their health.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, “Accelerate Action,” perfectly aligns with the transformative work of Transform Health Kenya Coalition. As a coalition of 33 organizations dedicated to health and human rights, Transform Health Kenya is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, with digital technologies and data as the driving force.
Closing the digital divide
A powerful testament to this mission is the work of the White Ribbon Alliance Kenya (WRA-K), a driving force behind community-led advocacy and social accountability for women’s health. Through the Transform Health Kenya Coalition, WRA-K engaged underserved women across Nairobi, Kisumu, Narok, and Bungoma counties: adolescent and young mothers, women with disabilities, those in informal settlements, and nomadic communities, empowering them to demand digital health solutions tailored to their needs. These women became bold advocates, pushing for the enactment of e-Health laws and amplifying public demand for digital health technologies. The result? A transformative shift in women’s healthcare, fueled by those who need it most.
To create lasting change, the coalition trained 20 women as Digital Health Champions, equipping them to advocate for digital health rights within their communities. These champions have become powerful agents of change: leading community dialogues to amplify women’s voices in policymaking, providing adolescent mothers a platform to share their telemedicine and tele-counseling needs, and using a scorecard approach to evaluate the accountability of policymakers and healthcare administrators. Through these efforts, women have gained vital advocacy skills, strengthened their ability to hold leaders accountable, and driven meaningful improvements in healthcare services.
Turning Advocacy into Impact
Transform Health Kenya’s women-led initiatives have achieved high-impact outcomes in the fight for digital health equity. The training of community-based Digital Health Champions has created a ripple effect, with these leaders continuing to push for change within their communities. The scorecard approach has not only facilitated dialogue with policymakers but has also resulted in real commitments, from improved service delivery to the expansion of digital health platforms.
However, the fight is far from over. The gender-digital divide remains a major obstacle, and continued efforts are needed to close the gap. Transform Health Kenya remains at the forefront, advocating for equal access to digital health technologies, with women leading the charge in shaping laws, policies, and digital health solutions.
Scaling up these efforts is critical. To truly transform women’s health, we must co-create digital health solutions with the women they are designed to serve. Women’s voices must not just be heard, they must drive the conversation.
A Call to Action
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, the theme: Accelerate Action is a rallying cry for bold change. Transform Health Kenya’s initiatives prove that when women lead the charge, communities thrive. By equipping women with the tools to advocate for their health rights, we ignite innovation and drive lasting transformation. The power to shape a healthier, more equitable future lies in collective action. Now is the time to accelerate progress, because when women rise, entire societies rise with them.
Join the conversation and be part of the movement:
Follow Transform Health Kenya on:
Twitter: @Trans4mHealthKe
Email: transformhealthke@gmail.com
Follow KELIN on:
Twitter: @KELINKenya
Facebook: facebook.com/kelinkenya
Martha Ogutu
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS
(Coordinator, Transform Health Kenya Coalition)
