The Government has launched the Post4Health project, leveraging the national postal network to strengthen the transportation of temperature-sensitive medical products and improve healthcare logistics.

The initiative, implemented by the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) in partnership with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), is expected to enhance cold-chain capacity and support the delivery of essential health products.

Speaking during the launch in Nairobi, Monday, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, William Kabogo, said the project would help improve access to medical supplies by leveraging the postal network to reach communities across the country.

“For a family waiting for care, the journey of a health product matters. Procurement and storage are important, but that journey is not complete, until the product reaches the facility where it is needed, in the right condition and at the right time,” Kabogo said.

He said the postal network remained an important component of the country’s digital economy, connecting communities, businesses and public institutions, while supporting the delivery of essential services.

Kabogo said the initiative aligned with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which seeks to promote inclusive economic growth and ensure development reaches households across the country.

“The postal network is the physical last mile of our digital economy, and the BETA cannot succeed without it,” he said.

Kabogo said the Government expected PCK to balance commercial sustainability with its public service mandate while diversifying its operations beyond traditional mail delivery.

He said the Corporation’s transformation was expected to strengthen its capacity to deliver essential services and respond to emerging economic opportunities.

The CS called on postal workers, county governments and health-sector partners to support the implementation of the initiative, saying its success would be measured by improved services to communities.

“Let the story of Post4Health be told through better-supported health facilities and communities that feel the benefit of national investment,” Kabogo said.

Principal Secretary (PS) for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Stephen Isaboke, said the Government was pursuing policy and regulatory reforms to reposition the postal sector as an essential component of the digital economy.

He said the proposed National Addressing System Policy and Bill, alongside the review of the Kenya Information and Communications Act and related regulations, would strengthen delivery systems, consumer protection and efficiency in the sector.

Isaboke said the reforms would provide operators with greater certainty to invest, while ensuring consumers benefited from reliable and secure postal and courier services.

Postmaster General, John Tanui, said the project would enable PCK to leverage its network of more than 600 postal outlets, to support healthcare services, while strengthening the corporation’s commercial sustainability.

He said the initiative would enhance the Corporation’s capacity to transport temperature-sensitive medical products through specialised cold-chain logistics.

Tanui said 11 vehicles valued at approximately Sh100 million, had been acquired under the project, with support from the Government of Japan through the UPU Post4Health programme, the Communications Authority and the Universal Service Fund.

He said the fleet would serve the healthcare sector, while creating opportunities to transport products for agriculture, fisheries and other specialised supply chains requiring temperature-controlled logistics.

The investment, he said, would improve supply-chain efficiency, reduce losses, expand PCK’s customer base and generate sustainable revenue streams.

Tanui called on healthcare institutions, pharmaceutical companies and other organisations to explore cold-chain logistics solutions offered by the Corporation.

He said the project’s success would depend on reliable service delivery, effective cold-chain management and continued collaboration with healthcare stakeholders.

Communications Authority Director General, David Mugonyi, said the project reflected the changing role of the postal sector as traditional mail volumes declined and demand for parcel delivery grew alongside e-commerce.

“The Post is not disappearing; it is evolving,” Mugonyi said.

He said the postal sector was increasingly embracing logistics, parcel delivery, fulfilment, financial services and digital solutions to respond to emerging market demands.

Mugonyi said the Authority was undertaking regulatory reforms to improve reliability, transparency and competition in the postal and courier market, while strengthening service quality monitoring.

According to the CA Strategic Plan 2023–2027, the Organization has prioritised modernisation of postal and courier services, improved delivery networks and the adoption of tracking and security technologies, to strengthen reliability and accountability.

The Authority highlighted that the Universal Service Fund, was targeting the roll-out of postal and courier services to 1,421 sub-locations identified as unserved through the Authority’s studies.

Universal Service Advisory Council Chairperson James Ongwae said the initiative aligned with the broader objectives of universal service, which seeks to extend essential services to communities that remain underserved.

He said the Council would continue advising the Authority on investments aimed at addressing access gaps, adding that the impact of universal service interventions should be measured by the benefits they deliver to communities.

“The strength of a national network is measured by how well it serves people at its furthest edges,” Ongwae said.

The project is expected to strengthen healthcare supply chains, while expanding the role of the national postal network in delivering essential public services to Kenyans.

By Nancy Omondi and Celine Mwende