Drone delivery technology is gradually transforming healthcare logistics in Kenya, cutting delivery times by 50 percent and significantly improving access for rural and under-served communities.
A growing number of firms are taking on this innovative technology for medical deliveries to remote areas—helping to address stock outages and delays due to poor road infrastructure.
Kenya's diverse geography and limited transport infrastructure have historically made the timely delivery of medical supplies challenging. Trucks and motorcycles often encounter delays due to poor road conditions, flooding, or complete inaccessibility.
In remote regions, traditional delivery methods can cost between Sh40 and Sh90 per kilometre, factoring in fuel, maintenance, and driver allowances. In contrast, drone delivery costs range from Sh25 to Sh45 per kilometre, offering speed and reliability while preserving the integrity of cold-chain logistics for vaccines and insulin.
To address these challenges, drone technology has become an option for companies such as Zipline, Kenya Flying Labs and Astral Aerial.
For example, Zipline, a global drone logistics company, established Kenya's first drone delivery hub in Kisumu County in 2022. Since then, this hub has served over 1,000 public health facilities.
A single Zipline hub operates within a 75 km radius and has completed over 6,300 deliveries in areas like Suba South, Nyakach, and parts of Siaya County. The hub averages 15 to 20 flights daily, with emergency deliveries accounting for around 40 percent of these.
"By integrating Zipline into their health infrastructure, Homa Bay is enabling consistent access to essential medicines, reducing stockouts, and strengthening responses at the facility level. This improves health outcomes and creates economic value by reducing emergency referrals, minimising waste, and making better use of limited public resources,” stated Charles Kariuki, Zipline Kenya's sales director.
According to the US Department of Transportation, depot-based drone delivery systems can reduce delivery costs per unit by 30 to 60 percent in remote areas. This cost reduction is driven by several factors, including electric propulsion (saving 10 to 20 percent on fuel), the elimination of driver wages (saving 10 to 20 percent), and lower maintenance costs (saving five to 10 percent).
By replacing slow, unreliable, and expensive road transport with aerial delivery, drones are making the final stage of the journey significantly more efficient and accessible.
This is particularly impactful in counties such as Turkana, West Pokot, Kisumu, and parts of Siaya, where essential medications for conditions such as malaria, maternal care, diabetes, and hypertension often become unavailable.
Preliminary data from Kisumu and Homa Bay indicates that stock-out durations at drone facilities have decreased by over 35 percent.
"Health facilities that require vaccines and other essential medical supplies can now receive them within minutes of requesting them. This has significantly improved healthcare delivery at the community level for many patients," stated a report by the Council of Governors.
In a recent development, Zipline has formed a new partnership that expands the range of life-saving supplies it delivers...The partnership also encompasses anti-snake venom and anti-rabies treatments to protect farmers and rural populations from potentially lethal bites.
Apart from Zipline, other local companies such as Astral Aerial Solutions and Kenya Flying Labs are helping to develop an ecosystem for delivering healthcare by drone.
Astral Aerial has successfully conducted test flights in Laikipia County, transporting vaccines and blood samples to remote clinics. In collaboration with the African Medical and Research Foundation, Astral successfully used drones to deliver vaccines for the Covid-19 virus to Samburu while maintaining the necessary cold-chain logistics.
Kenya Flying Labs has initiated medical drone deliveries in Kisumu and Taita Taveta, prioritising the training of health workers and drone operators to ensure long-term sustainability. In 2023, the organisation successfully delivered blood samples from rural dispensaries in the Taita Hills to the district hospital in under 15 minutes, replacing the traditional over-an-hour road journey.
“...Our initiatives impart knowledge, drive community empowerment, and bridge gaps in access to technology,” said Cleopa Otieno, the chief executive officer of Kenya Flying Labs.
Drones provide more than just delivery services; they also offer real-time visibility of the supply chain. Each delivery is digitally tracked, providing proof of delivery, accurate inventory updates, and improved forecasting. However, regulatory hurdles persist.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority continues to impose flight restrictions and regional infrastructure requirements, which can increase operational costs.
A McKinsey-backed study estimated the direct operating cost of drone deliveries to be around $13.50 (approximately Sh1744) per delivery, with labour being the main expense.
Although drone delivery platforms have not publicly disclosed the cost of setting up a drone hub in Kenya, the introduction of zero-rated import duties for drones helps to reduce the overall investment required. These costs can vary significantly based on infrastructure, local partnerships, and the scale of operations.
