The Kenyan Ministry of Health has identified solarisation of off-grid health facilities as a key strategy for strengthening climate-resilient systems, particularly across arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs.)
This strategy is set to ensure places in the off-grid areas are supplied with reliable electricity in their health facilities, thus enabling efficient administration of healthcare systems.
In a presentation made at a climate change and health Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) science café, Rose Mokaya, Assistant Director Public Health, Ministry of Health, Kenya, said the intervention is aimed at ensuring health facilities have reliable electricity to support critical medical services.
“More than half of healthcare facilities in off-grid areas currently lack dependable electricity, hence the intervention was brought about to ensure reliable energy for healthcare services,” Mokaya said.
In response to this growing number, Kenya’s National Solarization of Public Hospitals body, led by the government through Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Health are working to equip medical facilities with rooftop solar panels and battery systems. This ensures steady power and cuts down the cost of buying diesel for generators.
Mokaya mentioned that the World Bank is a major global funder in supporting projects to solarize off-grid health facilities. It funds the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP) to implement the infrastructure needed in the 14 underserved counties.
These counties include Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Isiolo. Others are Samburu, Tana River, Baringo, Kajiado, West Pokot, Laikipia and Kitui.
According to Mokaya, solarizing clinics and hospitals in off-grid places will be of benefit as it will ensure a continuous flow of power for critical medical services which help maintain oxygen support systems, ventilators and vaccine refrigeration unit.
The Ministry of Health is also implementing the Sustainable Clean Energy Transition-Use of non-burn technologies involve microwaving and shredding waste rather than burning. These initiatives do not produce emissions unlike burning, making them a cleaner alternative, Mokaya said.
In terms of implementation, the Ministry completed a first phase covering 10 counties including Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret, Kisii, Machakos, Kakamega, Embu, Mombasa, Nyeri, and Nairobi where machines were installed in health facilities. They are currently in the second phase, targeting 15 counties.
“The approach uses a "pooled system," meaning waste from smaller surrounding health facilities in a county is collected and brought to a central facility where the microwaving machines are located, rather than requiring every single facility to have its own machine,” Mokaya noted.
She acknowledged that improper disposal of healthcare waste, such as dumping hazardous materials on roadsides, in water bodies, or in landfills, is indeed a concern that the ministry is aware of and is trying to address through this initiative.
The shift to non-burn technologies is part of the health sector's broader effort to reduce its contribution to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the principle of "first, do no harm."
These interventions form part of the Kenya Climate Change and Health Strategy (2024–2029) which seeks to strengthen the resilience of the health sector and protect vulnerable populations from climate-related health risks.
This strategy is a vital framework to place human health at the centre of climate action, protect vulnerable groups from climate-sensitive diseases, and build low-carbon, resilient health systems.
