HOMA BAY, Kenya – Homa Bay High School is expected to roar to life this afternoon during a high-level leadership event at this year’s Devolution Conference.
The event will bring together a coalition of healthcare experts, government leaders, and innovators to spotlight a new model for global health rooted in partnership, equity, and digital innovation.
Proximie is already using digital technology to unite healthcare teams and save lives across Kenya. Proximie, the leading global health technology platform digitising operating rooms (“OR”), is hosting the event, titled ‘Digitising Surgical Equity: Advancing Kenya’s Digital Health Agenda and Scaling Minimally Invasive Surgery Through UK–Kenya Innovation’, that will showcase how the two countries are collaborating to drive more equitable access to safe and affordable surgical care.
This afternoon’s session will feature a keynote from Leigh Stubblefield, UK Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director to Kenya, and a series of talks and discussions from senior government officials from the UK and Kenya, frontline clinicians, global health leaders and digital health technology innovators.
At the heart of the event is a live cross-border surgical demonstration enabled by Proximie between Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust in London, with Dr. Nirooshun Rajendran.
The event will show the impact of technology-enabled partnerships on surgical delivery, training, and outcomes in Kenya. It will underscore Kenya’s position as a continental leader in digital health equity by revealing how the model, originally established and pioneered in Kenya in 2020 with Proximie, is now being replicated across East Africa, in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, and, most recently, in Uganda.
Highlights of the side event will include:
● The launch of five strategic national digital surgery workstreams with the Council of Governors aligned with Kenya’s Digital Superhighway, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and the African Union’s Digital Health Policy and Strategy.
● Keynotes and panels featuring senior voices from government, global health, and the private sector, including Leigh Stubblefield, Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director to Kenya; Dr. Ouma Oluga, OGW, Principal Secretary, State Department for Medical Services, Ministry of Health (Kenya); Governor Muthomi Njuki, Tharaka Nithi County Chair, Council of Governors Health Committee; Dr. Shannon Shibata-Germanos, Head of Global Health, Proximie; and key executives from the Surgical Society of Kenya, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and The Health Innovation Exchange.
When over five billion people lack access to safe surgery, and 143 million additional surgical procedures are needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) each year to save lives and prevent disability. In Kenya, the shortage is especially stark: just 810 surgeons serve over 55 million people, only 1.5 per 100,000, far below the global minimum of 20. More than half are based in Nairobi, leaving rural regions critically underserved. Traditional training models can’t meet demand, and many junior providers lack surgical mentorship.
This event will also explore innovative models of healthcare delivery, including digital tools that decentralise care, sustainably scale training, and expand access to safe, affordable surgery as a vital path toward greater health equity in Kenya and beyond.
With a focus on digital health, surgical equity, and scalable public-private partnerships (PPPs), this gathering marks a pivotal moment for UK-Kenya relations and for reframing global health not as aid but as co-investment and partnership.
British Deputy High Commissioner Leigh Stubblefield says regarding the event:
“The UK is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kenya in pioneering digital health solutions. At the heart of the new Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership lies digital innovation—driven not just by technology, but by trust, equity, and a shared vision for accessible, high-quality surgical care for all.” “UK company Proximie is already making an impact, operating successfully across 10 counties, and expanding healthcare access. Together, the UK and Kenya are forging a path towards a healthier future. We are going far, together.”
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr, Makueni County, said of Proximie’s work: “Kenya’s devolution works when we share tools, ideas, and innovations. We are stronger together.”
Faith Gitonga-Ngokonyo, Interim Country Director, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said:
“Kenya has invested substantially in its digital infrastructure and policy, including in the digital health superhighway and through the Digital Health Bill. TBI is delighted to be participating in this event to explore digital healthcare solutions, in particular, to further improve the quality and access to surgical care for citizens. We welcome the opportunity to share our perspectives from working with governments on digital healthcare transformation across the African continent and to learn from other experts.”
In the face of shifting global aid dynamics, the event makes a powerful case for reframing global health from dependency to partnership, pilots to policy, and aid to access. It will also underscore the role of UK health technologies like Proximie in enabling long-term, African-led impact through digital surgical mentorship and cross-border learning. This example of a UK-Kenya partnership means real-world impact for Kenyans, ultimately increasing access to timely, quality care.
Dr. Shannon Shibata-Germanos, Head of Global Health at Proximie, says:
“This moment is not just a milestone; it’s a springboard. Kenya is demonstrating how digital innovation, rooted in local leadership, can transform surgical care.
Together, we’re building a connected, county-wide digital surgical support system that strengthens critical health infrastructure and brings UHC closer to reality. With the right partnerships across governorates, telcos, cloud, digital infrastructure and enabling policy, Kenya can become an exemplar of the African Union’s digital health vision and a blueprint for scalable, African-led innovation.”
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