Author: ultrascopeadmin

Theatre equipment is the largest single line in almost every hospital capital budget, and the one where a specification error is hardest to live with. An operating table is bolted into a workflow for fifteen years. A theatre light that casts a shadow into the wound cannot be argued with.

Theatre light and operating table prices in Kenya: 2026

Item	Price	Notes
Examination Light	KSh 10,000	Consulting room and minor procedure use
Theatre Light – Single Arm Halogen with Stand	KSh 80,000	Mobile, minor theatre, outreach
Theatre Light – Portable Halogen	KSh 85,000	Backup light, mobile surgical camps
Theatre Light – Single Arm	KSh 220,000	Ceiling-mounted main light, minor and day surgery
Theatre Light – Double Arm LED	KSh 320,000	Main theatre, with a satellite head for the assistant
Hydraulic Operating Table	KSh 220,000	District and mission hospital general theatre
Electric Operating Table – Standard	KSh 300,000	Higher-volume theatre, faster positioning
Electric Theatre Table	KSh 450,000	Full-feature table for specialist and private theatres
Diathermy Machine 400 Watts	KSh 200,000	General surgery electrosurgical unit
Diathermy Machine	KSh 240,000	Higher specification electrosurgery

Specifying a theatre light properly

Three numbers matter and none of them is the wattage. Illuminance at one metre, measured in lux, should be at least 100,000 for a main theatre light. Colour rendering index should be 95 or above, because tissue that renders badly is tissue you are judging wrongly. Colour temperature should sit between 4,000 and 5,000 K, which reads as neutral daylight.

Then there is shadow control, which is what actually separates a good light from a bright one. A multi-reflector or multi-LED head fills in the shadow cast by the surgeon head and hands. A single large bulb, however powerful, cannot. That is the main argument for LED over halogen, alongside the heat: halogen heads warm the surgical field and the surgeon, and in a Nairobi theatre in January that is not a trivial complaint.

Double arm means a main head plus a satellite. If two surgeons operate together, or if you do any deep cavity work, specify it. Retrofitting a satellite head later costs more than including it.

Hydraulic or electric operating table

A hydraulic table is pumped by foot. It is mechanically simple, has nothing to fail electrically, and is the right choice where power is unreliable and the theatre list is moderate. A district hospital running general surgery and caesarean sections is well served by one.

An electric table positions faster and holds position precisely, which matters on long lists and in specialist positioning. Insist on a manual override: an electric table with a flat battery and no hand pump in the middle of a case is a serious problem. Check the battery runtime and whether a replacement can be sourced locally in three years.

• Load rating. Confirm the safe working load with the table articulated, not flat. Ratings quoted flat are optimistic.
• Sections. Head, back, seat, leg and kidney bridge cover general work. Radiolucent tops matter if you use image intensifiers.
• Accessories. Arm boards, lithotomy supports, shoulder braces and a mattress are frequently quoted separately. Get them on the same order.
• Floor fixing and drainage. Decide before delivery. Retrofitting floor anchors means closing the theatre.

Electrosurgery and the rest of the room

A diathermy unit is specified by output power and by mode. 400 W covers general surgery comfortably; lower-power units struggle with larger cases. Bipolar capability matters for fine work. The plate electrode and its cable are consumables, and a bad plate is the most common cause of patient burns, so budget for spares from day one.

A theatre is a system, not a shopping list. The theatre starter pack specifies the table, lights, diathermy, suction, monitoring, instrument trolleys, drapes and sterilisation together so nothing arrives orphaned. The autoclave guide covers sizing the sterilisation side to the instrument load.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a theatre light cost in Kenya?

A mobile single arm halogen light is around KSh 80,000, a ceiling-mounted single arm about KSh 220,000, and a double arm LED around KSh 320,000. Examination lights start at KSh 10,000.

How much is an operating table?

A hydraulic table is about KSh 220,000, a standard electric table around KSh 300,000, and a full-feature electric theatre table about KSh 450,000.

LED or halogen?

LED, unless budget forces otherwise. Less heat in the field, far longer lamp life, better shadow control and better colour rendering.

Do you install theatre equipment?

Yes. We deliver, install, commission and train staff, and we service what we supply. Ceiling-mounted lights require a site assessment first.

Ordering

See theatre and examination lights, operating tables, electrosurgery and diathermy and theatre and sterilisation. Talk to us early on theatre projects; specification is easier to fix before the order than after.

Related guides

• Autoclave prices in Kenya
• Patient monitor prices in Kenya
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list

A patient monitor is bought once and lived with for a decade. The purchase decision is usually made on the price of the head unit, and the regret usually arrives later, when a hospital discovers that the SpO2 probes are proprietary, the NIBP cuffs come in one size, and nobody in the country stocks either.

Patient monitor prices in Kenya: 2026

Item	Price	Setting
Fingertip Pulse Oximeter – Adult	KSh 1,500	Triage, ward rounds, home oxygen monitoring
Fetal Doppler – Rechargeable	KSh 8,500	Antenatal clinics and maternity units
Handheld Pulse Oximeter	KSh 10,000	Ambulance, recovery, spot checks with a printed trace
Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor	KSh 55,000	Theatre, HDU, recovery, general ward monitoring
Neonatal Patient Monitor	KSh 80,000	Newborn unit, NICU, neonatal transport

How many parameters do you actually need?

The standard five-parameter configuration is ECG, SpO2, NIBP, respiration and temperature. That covers general ward, recovery and most theatre work in a Kenyan district or private hospital, and it is what the multi-parameter unit above provides.

Adding capnography (EtCO2) is the meaningful upgrade, and it is not optional if you ventilate patients or run deep sedation. Invasive blood pressure and cardiac output belong in a tertiary ICU and are usually a poor use of a limited budget elsewhere.

Neonatal is a different machine, not a setting

This is where hospitals most often make an expensive mistake. An adult monitor with a neonatal cuff is not a neonatal monitor. Newborn heart rates run to 180 and beyond, the NIBP algorithm has to inflate to much lower pressures, the SpO2 sensor has to work on a foot the size of a thumb, and the alarm limits have to be set for a neonate. Buy the neonatal unit for the newborn unit. It is KSh 25,000 more and it is the difference between a monitor that alarms usefully and one that alarms constantly until staff switch the sound off.

The consumables question

Ask this before you sign anything: what does a replacement SpO2 probe cost, what NIBP cuff sizes are available, and are the ECG lead sets standard or proprietary? Probes are the first thing to fail on any monitor, usually within eighteen months of hard use. A monitor whose probes cost a fifth of the machine price, or which cannot be sourced in Kenya at all, becomes an expensive display within two years.

• Cuff sizes. You need at least small adult, adult and large adult. A single cuff produces systematically wrong readings on half your patients.
• Battery life. Ask for the runtime on battery alone. Anything under two hours is a problem during a power cut or an intra-hospital transfer.
• Alarm behaviour. Alarms that cannot be set per patient get silenced by staff, and a silenced monitor is not a monitor.
• Data output. A printer port or USB export matters if you ever need to evidence a trend retrospectively.
• Mounting. Trolley, wall bracket or bedside shelf. Decide before delivery, not after.

Installation, training and service

A monitor delivered in a box and left in a corner is a common sight. We commission the unit, set default alarm limits appropriate to the ward it is going to, and train the staff who will actually use it on the night shift, not only the matron who signs for it. Servicing and NIBP calibration should be scheduled annually.

For theatre and HDU projects the theatre starter pack and neonatal starter pack specify monitoring alongside the rest of the room, which avoids the common problem of buying the monitor and forgetting the trolley, the probes and the spare cuffs.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a patient monitor cost in Kenya?

A multi-parameter monitor is around KSh 55,000 and a dedicated neonatal monitor about KSh 80,000. Handheld pulse oximeters start at KSh 10,000 and fingertip units at KSh 1,500.

Can one monitor serve both adults and newborns?

Not properly. The heart rate range, cuff pressures and probe design differ. Newborn units need a neonatal monitor.

Do you supply probes and cuffs separately?

Yes. Replacement SpO2 probes, cuffs in all sizes and ECG lead sets are stocked as accessories.

Is installation and training included?

Yes, on monitors we supply. Annual service and calibration can be arranged as a contract.

Ordering

Browse patient monitors, pulse oximeters and patient monitor accessories. Delivery and commissioning are available countrywide.

Related guides

• Oxygen concentrator prices in Kenya
• Infant incubator prices in Kenya
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list

Microscopes are bought by two very different customers in Kenya: laboratories that need a reliable clinical instrument for daily parasitology and haematology, and schools and colleges that need enough working units for a class of forty. The specification that suits one rarely suits the other.

Microscope prices in Kenya: 2026

Item	Price	Use
Microscope X107	KSh 25,000	Clinical laboratories, health centres, teaching and student practicals
Frosted Microscope Slides	KSh 170	Per box. The recurring consumable in any working lab
Binocular clinical microscope with oil immersion	KSh 45,000 – 85,000	Routine parasitology, TB and haematology at district level
Trinocular microscope with camera port	KSh 110,000 – 220,000	Teaching, documentation, reference and research laboratories

What a Kenyan clinical laboratory actually needs

For malaria films, TB smears, urine microscopy and stool parasitology, the specification is unglamorous and specific. You need a binocular head, a good 100x oil immersion objective, an Abbe condenser with an iris diaphragm, and a mechanical stage with vernier scales so a field can be found again. LED illumination is now standard and matters more in Kenya than elsewhere because it runs cool, draws little power and the lamp does not need replacing every few months.

What you do not need is a high magnification headline. A 1600x or 2000x claim on a cheap instrument is empty magnification: the optics cannot resolve any more detail, so you get a bigger, blurrier image. Resolution comes from the numerical aperture of the objective, not from the number on the eyepiece.

For schools and training colleges

Robustness and price per unit dominate. A monocular instrument is acceptable for teaching, and buying eight working microscopes rather than three excellent ones is the right call when the constraint is students per instrument. Budget for slides, coverslips, immersion oil and lens tissue in the same order, because a laboratory with microscopes and no consumables teaches nothing.

The things that shorten a microscope life in Kenya

• Immersion oil left on the objective. The single most common cause of ruined optics. Wipe the 100x lens with lens tissue at the end of every session, never with a cloth or tissue paper.
• Dust and humidity. Cover the instrument when not in use and keep a sachet of silica gel in the case. Fungal growth on internal optics is effectively unrepairable in the field.
• Carrying it by the stage. One hand under the base, one on the arm. Always.
• Cleaning lenses with alcohol wipes. They strip the coatings. Use lens cleaning fluid and lens tissue only.
• Power surges. LED units are more tolerant than halogen, but a surge protector is cheap insurance on a KSh 25,000 instrument.

Buying checklist

Before you commit, confirm four things: that the objectives are achromatic or better and are marked with their numerical aperture, that spare bulbs or LED units can be sourced locally, that the mechanical stage moves smoothly under load without drift, and that there is a warranty with someone in Kenya who will honour it. Optical instruments bought from marketplace listings routinely arrive with a collimation problem that no local technician can correct.

If you are building a laboratory from scratch, the laboratory set-up guide covers licensing and the full equipment list, and the laboratory starter pack bundles the microscope with the centrifuge, analyser and consumables.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a microscope cost in Kenya?

A student and clinical instrument such as the X107 is around KSh 25,000. A binocular clinical microscope with oil immersion typically runs KSh 45,000 to KSh 85,000, and a trinocular with a camera port from about KSh 110,000.

Do you supply schools and colleges?

Yes, including bulk pricing for class sets and delivery to campuses countrywide.

Is 2000x magnification better?

No. Above roughly 1000x you are magnifying without resolving any additional detail. Judge the objectives, not the eyepiece number.

Do you service microscopes?

Yes. We service and calibrate what we supply, and we stock slides, coverslips and immersion oil for reordering.

Ordering

See microscopes for current stock, laboratory consumables for slides and reagents, and laboratory analysers for the automated side of the bench.

Related guides

• Rapid test kit prices in Kenya
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list
• Autoclave prices in Kenya

A ripple mattress is bought for one reason: to stop a pressure sore forming, or to stop an existing one getting worse. It is one of the few pieces of home care equipment where the cost of not buying it is measured in months of wound care, and occasionally in a life.

Ripple mattress prices in Kenya: 2026

Item	Price	Suited to
Ripple Mattress – Bubble	KSh 5,000	Prevention in patients at moderate risk, home care, short-term bed rest
Ripple Mattress – Tube	KSh 10,500	Higher risk patients, existing grade 1-2 sores, long-term immobility
Hospital Bed – Single Crank with Mattress	KSh 25,000	Complete home care set-up on one order
Hospital Bed – Double Crank with Mattress	KSh 43,000	Patients needing both back and knee positioning

Bubble or tube: the difference that matters

A bubble (cell) mattress is an overlay of individual air pockets that inflate and deflate in alternating groups. It is light, inexpensive and effective for prevention in a patient who can still shift position a little on their own.

A tube mattress uses long transverse air tubes, usually deeper, with a stronger pump. Because the tubes are deeper the patient is properly suspended rather than resting on a thin layer of air, and the alternating cycle offloads tissue more completely. That is what you want for a patient who cannot reposition at all, or who already has a sore.

If you are choosing between them and the patient has been bed-bound for more than a few weeks, buy the tube. The price difference is roughly the cost of two weeks of dressings for a grade 3 sore.

A ripple mattress does not replace turning

This is the most important thing on this page. An alternating pressure mattress reduces risk substantially; it does not eliminate it. Patients still need repositioning, and the schedule most home carers can realistically sustain is every two to three hours during the day and every four at night.

• Heels. The mattress does very little for heels. Offload them with a pillow under the calves so the heels float clear of the surface entirely.
• Skin checks. Look at the sacrum, heels, hips and shoulders daily. Redness that does not blanch under light finger pressure is a grade 1 sore and needs action that day.
• Moisture. Incontinence and sweat soften skin and multiply the risk. Manage continence properly and change linen promptly.
• Nutrition. Protein and fluid intake affect healing more than most families expect. Raise it with the treating clinician.
• Sheets. One loose sheet only. Layers of tightly tucked bedding under the patient cancel out the alternating action.

Setting it up correctly

Lay the overlay directly on the existing mattress, secure the straps, hang the pump on the footboard with the air hoses running clear of the floor, and leave it to inflate fully before the patient gets on it. Set the pressure dial to the patient weight, not to the maximum: over-inflation makes the surface hard and defeats the purpose. Check the pump is running every morning, because a mattress with a failed pump is worse than an ordinary mattress.

Most families order the mattress with a bed. The hospital bed guide explains the manual, crank and electric options, and the home care starter pack puts the bed, mattress, commode and transfer aids on a single delivery.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a ripple mattress cost in Kenya?

A bubble ripple mattress is around KSh 5,000 and a tube ripple mattress about KSh 10,500. Both include the pump.

Will it fit an ordinary bed at home?

Yes. Both are overlays sized for a standard single bed and they sit on top of the existing mattress.

Does it need to run all the time?

Yes, continuously, whenever the patient is on it. The pump uses very little power.

Can it heal an existing pressure sore?

It removes the pressure that caused the sore, which is a precondition for healing, but the wound itself still needs proper dressing and clinical review. Use it alongside wound care, not instead of it.

Ordering

Stock is listed under mattresses, with beds under hospital beds and dressings under wound care. We deliver to all 47 counties and can set the mattress up at the bedside in Nairobi.

Related guides

• Hospital bed prices in Kenya
• Wheelchair prices in Kenya
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list

Walking aids are usually bought in a hurry, the day before a discharge, by a family member who has never bought one before. That is how people end up with crutches that are the wrong height and a frame that does not fit through the bedroom door. This guide is written to make that decision take ten minutes instead of a week.

Walking aid prices in Kenya: 2026 price list

Item	Price	Best for
Foldable Walking Stick	KSh 1,500	Mild balance problems, travel, occasional use
Cane for the Blind	KSh 1,500	Visual impairment, orientation and mobility
Walking Stick with Seat	KSh 2,000	Patients who tire quickly and need to rest en route
Auxiliary Crutches	KSh 2,000	Fractures, post-operative non-weight-bearing, short-term use
Walking Frame with Castors	KSh 4,000	Indoor use where lifting a frame is too tiring
Walking Frame	KSh 8,000	Maximum stability, rehabilitation, elderly patients
Rollator Walker	KSh 11,000	Outdoor mobility with brakes, seat and storage

Choosing between a stick, crutches, a frame and a rollator

The rule of thumb is to use the least supportive aid that keeps the patient safe. Over-supporting is not harmless: it weakens the patient, slows rehabilitation and makes stairs harder, not easier.

A walking stick

For mild unsteadiness or one weak leg. Held in the hand opposite the affected leg, and moved forward with that leg. A stick with a seat is a genuinely useful variation for anyone who can walk a hundred metres but not three hundred.

Crutches

For non-weight-bearing or partial weight-bearing after a fracture or surgery. Auxiliary (underarm) crutches are what most Kenyan hospitals discharge patients with. The pads should sit two to three finger-widths below the armpit and the weight must go through the hands, never the armpits. Weight through the armpit is how patients develop nerve damage.

A walking frame

For significant instability. A standard frame is lifted and placed, which is the most stable option but demands arm strength. A frame with front castors is easier for frail patients because it is pushed rather than lifted, at some cost in stability.

A rollator

For patients who are steady enough to walk outdoors but need brakes, a seat and somewhere to carry things. This is the one that restores the most independence, and the one most often skipped because of the price. Over a year of daily use it is the cheapest of the lot per outing.

Getting the height right

This is the part that gets done wrong most often. Stand the patient upright in their normal shoes, arms hanging loose at their sides. The top of the stick, crutch handgrip or frame should sit level with the crease of the wrist. At that height the elbow bends about 15 to 20 degrees when gripping, which is where the arm is strongest.

Too high and the shoulder does the work and tires within minutes. Too low and the patient stoops, which shifts the centre of gravity forward and increases the risk of a fall. Every aid we supply is height-adjustable, and we will set it for you at the point of collection if the patient is with you.

Practical notes for the home

• Check the ferrules. The rubber tips are the entire grip system. Replace them when the tread wears smooth, not when they fall off.
• Loose rugs and door thresholds cause more falls than stairs. Remove them before the patient comes home.
• Measure your doorways. Standard frames are around 60 cm wide. Older interior doors in Kenya are often narrower than people assume.
• Wet floors and cement verandas are the highest-risk surfaces. Consider ferrules with a wider base for outdoor use.
• Store the aid where the patient wakes. Most falls happen on the way to the bathroom at night.

Questions we are asked most often

How much do crutches cost in Kenya?

Auxiliary crutches are around KSh 2,000 a pair. Walking sticks start at KSh 1,500, walking frames at KSh 4,000 and rollators at about KSh 11,000.

Frame or rollator for an elderly parent?

If they are mostly indoors and unsteady, a frame. If they still go out and need to rest along the way, a rollator. The seat and brakes are what make the difference.

How do I know the height is right?

The handgrip should reach the crease of the wrist when the patient stands upright with arms relaxed.

Do you stock spare ferrules and accessories?

Yes. Replacement tips, and the wider range of transfer and bathroom safety equipment, are all available.

Ordering

See the walking aids range, and consider bathroom safety and toileting aids at the same time, since the bathroom is where the majority of home falls happen. For patients who cannot walk at all, the wheelchair guide is the place to start.

Related guides

• Wheelchair prices in Kenya
• Hospital bed prices in Kenya
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list

The meter is not the purchase. The strips are. A glucometer is sold cheaply precisely because the manufacturer expects to earn from every test you run for the next five years, so the only number that matters when you compare devices is the cost per strip and whether those strips are reliably available in Kenya.

Glucometer and test strip prices in Kenya: 2026

Item	Price	Notes
On Call Glucometer	KSh 1,300	Meter, lancing device and case. Widely used in Kenyan clinics and homes
On Call Glucometer Strips	KSh 600	Per pack. The recurring cost that actually determines your monthly spend
Mission Test Strips	KSh 3,500	Multi-parameter strips for wider clinical screening
Urinalysis Strips	KSh 700	Routine urine screening, often ordered alongside glucose testing

Work out your real cost before you choose

A patient testing twice a day uses roughly 60 strips a month. A clinic running 20 random glucose checks a day uses about 600. Multiply that by the per-strip cost and the meter price becomes irrelevant within weeks. This is why we quote strips prominently rather than burying them, and why we keep to systems whose strips we can actually restock.

The trap is buying an imported meter from a marketplace listing because it is cheap, then discovering that nobody in the country stocks its strips. We see meters brought in for repair every month that are not broken at all; they are simply orphaned. Before you buy any glucometer, ask one question: who sells the strips here, and what do they cost?

Getting accurate readings

• Check the expiry on the strip vial, not the box. Strips degrade once the vial is opened, and most are only good for three months after opening.
• Close the vial immediately. Humidity is the single biggest cause of drifting results in coastal and lakeside counties.
• Wash and dry hands. Traces of fruit sugar or lotion on a fingertip will read as hyperglycaemia.
• Use the side of the fingertip. Less painful, better blood flow, better adherence in patients testing daily.
• Do not milk the finger. Squeezing dilutes the sample with tissue fluid and reads low.
• Run the control solution when you open a new vial and whenever a result does not match the patient in front of you.

Clinic use versus home use

For home use, the priority is simplicity, a clear display and strips the patient can buy locally without a trip to Nairobi. For clinic use, add strict lancet disposal into a sharps container, a documented control-solution log, and a policy on when a capillary result must be confirmed with a venous lab sample. Capillary glucose is a screening and monitoring tool, not a diagnostic one for diabetes.

If you are setting up testing services more broadly, the rapid test kit guide covers the HIV, malaria, Widal and hepatitis side, and the laboratory starter pack bundles the consumables that go with it.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a glucometer cost in Kenya?

Around KSh 1,300 for a complete On Call kit including the meter, lancing device and case. Strips are about KSh 600 per pack.

Are the strips interchangeable between brands?

No. Strips are coded to their own meter. Using another brand will either fail to read or, worse, give a plausible but wrong number.

How long do test strips last?

Check the printed expiry, then note the date you open the vial. Most strips should be discarded three months after opening regardless of the printed date.

Do you supply clinics on a standing order?

Yes. Labs and clinics reordering strips regularly can set up a recurring supply so you are not testing on the last vial.

Ordering

Meters are listed under glucometers and consumables under test strips and reagent strips. Delivery is countrywide.

Related guides

• Rapid test kit prices in Kenya
• BP machine prices in Kenya
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list

A stethoscope is the cheapest piece of diagnostic equipment a clinician owns and the one they use most. It is also the purchase where students are most often oversold and qualified staff most often under-buy, keeping a training scope for a decade after they should have replaced it.

Stethoscope price in Kenya: 2026 price list

Stethoscope	Price	Who it suits
Dual-Head Stethoscope	KSh 2,000	Students, nursing staff, BP measurement, general ward use
Littmann Classic II Stethoscope	KSh 2,500	Nurses and clinical officers wanting genuine Littmann acoustics
Littmann Classic III Stethoscope	KSh 4,500	Doctors, paediatrics, anyone doing daily cardiac and chest work

Dual-head versus Littmann: what you are actually paying for

A standard dual-head scope has a bell for low-frequency sounds and a diaphragm for high-frequency sounds, and you physically rotate the chestpiece between them. It is perfectly adequate for taking a manual blood pressure and for routine chest sounds, which is most of what most staff do.

The Littmann Classic III uses a tunable diaphragm on both sides. Press lightly and you hear low frequencies; press firmly and you hear high frequencies, without turning anything over. In a busy clinic that is not a gimmick, it is one fewer movement per patient. The small side also works for paediatric and thin adult chests, so one scope covers both.

The Classic II sits between them: genuine Littmann acoustics and build, single tunable diaphragm side with a traditional bell. For nurses and clinical officers it is usually the sensible middle purchase.

Buying advice for students

Every academic intake we get the same question, and the honest answer is that you do not need the most expensive scope to pass. You need one where you can reliably hear Korotkoff sounds and a murmur when it is there. A dual-head scope at KSh 2,000 will get you through the early years. If you are going into cardiology, paediatrics or anaesthesia, buy the Classic III once and keep it.

Two practical points that matter more than the brand. First, get the ear tips right: they should point forward, following the direction of your ear canals, and they must seal. A poorly seated KSh 4,500 scope performs worse than a well-seated KSh 2,000 one. Second, engrave or label it. Stethoscopes walk off wards faster than any other item.

Looking after it

• Wipe the diaphragm and tubing with alcohol between patients. It is a recognised vector for hospital-acquired infection and it is almost never cleaned.
• Keep it out of direct sun and off hot surfaces. Tubing hardens and cracks, and hard tubing transmits handling noise.
• Do not carry it looped around your neck all day if you can avoid it. Skin oils degrade PVC tubing faster than anything else.
• Replace ear tips when they harden. It is a small spare that restores most of the lost performance.
• Never coil it tightly in a pocket. Permanent kinks in the tubing damp the sound.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a stethoscope cost in Kenya?

A dual-head stethoscope is around KSh 2,000. A Littmann Classic II is about KSh 2,500 and a Littmann Classic III about KSh 4,500.

Are your Littmann stethoscopes genuine?

Yes. We supply genuine stock and will show you the packaging and serial marking on request. Counterfeit Littmanns circulate widely in the region and they sound noticeably worse.

Which stethoscope is best for nursing students?

A dual-head scope or the Classic II. Both handle blood pressure and routine chest auscultation comfortably.

Do you supply in bulk for colleges?

Yes. Training institutions ordering for an intake should contact us directly for volume pricing and delivery scheduling.

Ordering

Current stock is on the stethoscopes page. If you are kitting out a new practice, the wider diagnostic instruments range covers BP machines, thermometers, pulse oximeters and diagnostic sets from the same order.

Related guides

• BP machine prices in Kenya: digital vs aneroid
• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list
• How to equip a new clinic in Kenya

Weighing scales look like a commodity purchase until the first time a clinic has to defend a growth-monitoring chart or a drug dose calculated from a bad weight. Accuracy, calibration and the right scale for the right patient group matter more here than the headline price, which in most cases is small.

Weighing scale price in Kenya: 2026 price list

Scale	Price	Typical use
Bathroom Weighing Scale	KSh 1,500	Home use, staff wellness rooms, basic screening
Heavy Duty Mechanical Scale	KSh 6,500	Outreach and rural clinics with no reliable power
Infant Weighing Scale	KSh 7,000	MCH clinics, growth monitoring, immunisation days
EBSL-20 Digital Baby Weighing Scale	KSh 7,000	Maternity units and paediatric clinics needing finer resolution
Height & Weight Scale – Mechanical	KSh 9,500	General outpatient, school health programmes
Baby Height Board	KSh 9,500	Length measurement for under-twos, nutrition surveys
Height & Weight Scale – Digital	KSh 15,500	Busy outpatient departments
Kinlee TCS-200LP Height & Weight Scale with BMI	KSh 19,000	Clinics running NCD, diabetes or weight management programmes
MUAC Tape	KSh 300	Nutrition screening and outreach

Which scale for which patient

Adults

A column scale with an integrated stadiometer is the workhorse. Mechanical models need no power and hold calibration well; digital models are faster and remove reading error, which matters when a queue is 60 patients long. If you run diabetes, hypertension or antenatal clinics, the BMI-calculating model earns its extra cost by removing a manual step that staff routinely skip when busy.

Infants and children

Under two years, weigh naked on a tray scale with 10 g resolution and measure length on a board, not standing height. Above two, a standing scale and stadiometer is appropriate. A bathroom scale is not acceptable for growth monitoring: the resolution is too coarse and the platform is too small for a toddler to stand still on.

Outreach and community work

Mechanical every time. A hanging or heavy-duty mechanical scale plus a MUAC tape covers nutrition screening without a battery in sight. Digital scales in the field fail on flat batteries and on uneven ground.

Calibration is the part that gets skipped

A scale is a measuring instrument and it drifts. Check it against a known mass at least quarterly, and always after it has been moved or transported. A 5 kg calibration weight costs very little and settles arguments. Record the check; if you are ever inspected, an undocumented calibration is treated as no calibration.

Place the scale on a hard, level floor. Tiles or concrete, never a rug or a raised wooden platform. Zero it before each session, not just at installation.

Buying notes

• Capacity. 150 kg is standard. Specify 200 kg or more if you see bariatric patients, otherwise the scale reads out of range at exactly the moment the number matters.
• Resolution. 100 g for adults, 10 g for infants. Anything coarser makes serial weights meaningless.
• Power. Prefer digital scales that accept both mains and battery. Kenyan clinic power is not always the problem; the extension cord is.
• Stadiometer. Buy the combined unit rather than a wall-mounted tape. Wall tapes get painted over and read wrong when a patient wears shoes.
• Platform size. Larger platforms are safer for elderly and unsteady patients.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does a weighing scale cost in Kenya?

A basic bathroom scale is around KSh 1,500, a clinic-grade mechanical height and weight scale about KSh 9,500, and a digital model with BMI around KSh 19,000. Infant scales sit at roughly KSh 7,000.

Mechanical or digital?

Mechanical for outreach, unstable power and long service life. Digital for speed and to remove reading error in high-volume outpatient settings.

Do I need a separate baby scale?

Yes, if you weigh children under two. Adult scales do not have the resolution or the platform for accurate infant weights.

How often should scales be calibrated?

Quarterly as a minimum, plus after any move. Keep a written log.

Ordering

Current stock and prices are on the weighing scales and baby and infant scales pages, with stadiometers under height measurement. Delivery covers all 47 counties.

Related guides

• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list
• How to equip a new clinic in Kenya
• BP machine prices in Kenya
• Infant incubator prices in Kenya

An examination couch is the first thing a patient touches and the last thing most new clinics budget for properly. It is also one of the few purchases where the cheapest option in the market and the right option are rarely the same, because a couch that flexes under a 90 kg patient will be replaced inside two years.

Examination couch price in Kenya: 2026 price list

Item	Price	Best suited to
Examination Couch	KSh 10,000	General consulting rooms, outpatient clinics, occupational health
Padded examination couch with drawer unit	KSh 18,000 – 28,000	Busier practices needing storage at the point of care
Hydraulic height-adjustable couch	KSh 45,000 – 90,000	Physiotherapy, minor procedures, gynaecology, elderly patients
Electric multi-section couch	KSh 120,000 – 250,000	Day surgery, specialist and private consulting suites

Prices are indicative for 2026 and cover the couch itself. Delivery within Nairobi is usually included on orders of this size; upcountry delivery is quoted per county. Talk to us before ordering if the couch has to go up a narrow stairwell, because the fixed-frame models do not dismantle.

What actually separates a KSh 10,000 couch from a KSh 90,000 one

Three things: the frame, the upholstery and the adjustment mechanism. A budget couch uses a welded mild steel frame with powder coating, 40 to 50 mm foam and a fixed height. That is entirely adequate for a consulting room where patients sit, lie flat and get up again unaided.

Once you need the patient surface to rise and fall, the price steps up sharply because you are buying a gas strut, a hydraulic pump or an actuator, and those are the parts that fail. Height adjustment is not a luxury in physiotherapy, in geriatrics, or anywhere a patient may need to be transferred from a wheelchair. It is a safety feature for your staff as much as for the patient.

Upholstery is where quiet cost-cutting happens. Ask what the covering actually is. Marine-grade or medical-grade vinyl survives daily disinfection with chlorine or alcohol; cheaper PVC cracks along the fold lines within a year and a cracked couch cannot be cleaned properly, which turns a furniture problem into an infection control problem.

Sizing and the details people forget

• Working height. A fixed couch at 70 to 75 cm suits most adult examination. Anything higher and shorter patients need a step, which is a fall risk.
• Width. 60 cm is standard. 70 cm or wider is worth it for bariatric patients and for anywhere a patient will lie for more than a few minutes.
• Load rating. Ask for it in writing. A stated 150 kg static rating is not the same as 150 kg of a patient moving to sit up.
• Backrest angle. An adjustable backrest lets one couch serve examination, minor procedures and recovery.
• Paper roll holder. Trivial to specify at purchase, awkward to retrofit.
• Castors and brakes. Only useful if all four lock. Two-brake couches drift.

How many couches does a new clinic need?

One per consulting room, plus one in the treatment or dressing room, plus one in the observation bay if you have one. The most common mistake we see is a three-room clinic buying two couches and then permanently borrowing one between rooms, which slows every clinic session down.

If you are equipping from scratch, the clinic equipment checklist and budget guide sets out where the couch sits against the rest of the list, and the clinic starter pack bundles it with the diagnostic set, screens and trolley so nothing gets missed.

Questions we are asked most often

How much does an examination couch cost in Kenya?

A standard fixed-height padded examination couch starts at around KSh 10,000. Hydraulic height-adjustable couches run from roughly KSh 45,000, and electric multi-section couches from about KSh 120,000.

Is a hydraulic couch worth the extra cost?

For a general consulting room, usually not. For physiotherapy, elderly care, gynaecology or any setting where patients are transferred from wheelchairs, it pays for itself in reduced staff back injury alone.

What upholstery should I ask for?

Medical or marine-grade vinyl over high-density foam. Confirm it tolerates the disinfectant your infection control policy actually uses, not just soap and water.

Do you deliver outside Nairobi?

Yes, to all 47 counties. Upcountry delivery is quoted per order because couches are bulky rather than heavy and freight is charged by volume.

Buying an examination couch

You can see current stock and prices on the examination couches category page, and the wider hospital furniture range covers the trolleys, screens and stools that go in the same room. Everything is supplied with a warranty and we service what we sell.

Related guides

• Medical equipment prices in Kenya: 2026 master price list
• How to equip a new clinic in Kenya: checklist and budget
• Hospital bed prices in Kenya
• Autoclave prices in Kenya

Getting a straight answer on medical equipment prices in Kenya is unreasonably difficult. Most suppliers hide behind a request-a-quote form, and the ones who do publish prices rarely say what is included. This page is our attempt to fix that for our own catalogue: real 2026 prices, organised by what you are trying to equip, with links to detailed guides where the choice is not obvious.

Everything below is stocked and delivered from Nairobi to all 47 counties. Where we do not stock something, we say so and we can import it on your behalf.

Price ranges at a glance

Category	Price range	Detailed guide
Oxygen concentrators	KSh 55,000 – 100,000	Oxygen concentrator prices
Wheelchairs	KSh 12,000 – 25,000	Wheelchair prices
Hospital beds	KSh 25,000 – 180,000	Hospital bed prices
BP machines	KSh 1,200 – 3,000	BP machine prices
Nebulizers	KSh 4,000 – 5,800	Nebulizer prices
Autoclaves and sterilizers	KSh 18,000 – 300,000	Autoclave prices
Dental equipment	KSh 60,000 – 350,000	Dental chair prices
Neonatal care	KSh 14,000 – 480,000	Infant incubator prices
Rapid test kits	KSh 300 – 12,000	Rapid test kit prices
Walking aids and crutches	KSh 1,500 – 11,000	See category
Stethoscopes	KSh 2,000 – 4,500	See category
Hospital trolleys and crash carts	KSh 8,500 – 70,000	See category
Theatre and examination lights	KSh 10,000 – 320,000	See category
Operating tables	KSh 220,000 – 450,000	See category
Laboratory analysers	KSh 190,000 – 450,000	See category
Stretchers	from KSh 75,000	See category

Home care equipment

This is the fastest-growing part of our business, and it is almost always driven by a hospital discharge. The three purchases that matter are a bed the patient can sit up in, a way to get to the toilet, and oxygen if it has been prescribed. Everything else can follow.

A workable home setup starts around KSh 40,000 with a single crank bed at KSh 25,000 and a standard wheelchair at KSh 12,000. Add a commode wheelchair and an oxygen concentrator and you are between KSh 90,000 and KSh 150,000. See the home care starter pack, and note the bathroom safety range, which is the most commonly skipped and most frequently regretted omission.

Clinics and consulting rooms

A single consulting room equipped to actually work costs about KSh 90,000, rising to KSh 160,000 to KSh 200,000 with emergency and procedure capability. Our full room-by-room breakdown with a purchase order is in the guide on how to equip a new clinic in Kenya, and the shortlist is packaged as the clinic starter pack.

Theatre and surgical

Theatre is where budgets move by an order of magnitude. An hydraulic operating table starts at KSh 220,000 and electric tables run to KSh 450,000. Theatre lighting spans KSh 80,000 for a single-arm halogen unit with stand to KSh 320,000 for a double-arm LED. Sterilisation for a theatre instrument load means a 50 or 100 litre autoclave rather than a benchtop unit. See the theatre starter pack for the full specification.

Laboratory

Laboratories divide cleanly into those that run rapid tests and those that run analysers. Rapid testing can be set up for under KSh 10,000. An analyser-based lab starts around KSh 190,000 for a semi-automatic biochemistry analyser and KSh 360,000 upwards for haematology, plus a centrifuge at KSh 8,000 and a microscope at KSh 25,000. Ongoing laboratory consumables are the real cost of ownership and should be budgeted per test, not per year.

Maternity and newborn

Any facility conducting deliveries needs a resuscitaire in the labour ward, which at KSh 480,000 is the single largest item in this category and the one most often missing. Incubators run KSh 225,000 to KSh 325,000 and LED phototherapy is KSh 120,000. Full detail is in the neonatal equipment price guide.

Why we publish prices

Two reasons, both self-interested. First, buyers who can see a price arrive at the enquiry already knowing whether they can afford the item, which saves everyone time. Second, the alternative is asking a clinician who is opening their first practice to guess, and guessing is how people end up with a KSh 24,000 autoclave that cannot sterilise their handpieces.

Prices move with the exchange rate and with shipping. We keep this page current, but confirm on the product page or with us before committing budget. For volumes, tenders and county framework pricing, talk to us directly.

All our buying guides

Price guides

• Oxygen concentrator prices in Kenya
• Wheelchair prices in Kenya
• Hospital bed prices in Kenya
• BP machine prices in Kenya
• Nebulizer machine prices in Kenya
• Autoclave and sterilizer prices in Kenya
• Examination couch prices in Kenya
• Dental chair prices in Kenya
• Infant incubator and radiant warmer prices in Kenya
• Rapid test kit prices in Kenya
• Weighing scale prices in Kenya
• Stethoscope prices in Kenya
• Glucometer and test strip prices in Kenya
• Crutches, walking frame and walking stick prices in Kenya
• Ripple mattress prices in Kenya
• Microscope prices in Kenya
• Patient monitor prices in Kenya
• Theatre light and operating table prices in Kenya
• Delivery bed and maternity equipment prices in Kenya
• Suction machine prices in Kenya

Choosing between options

• Oxygen concentrator vs oxygen cylinder
• Which wheelchair should you buy? Standard vs commode vs reclining

Setting up a facility

• How to equip a new clinic in Kenya: checklist and budget
• How to set up a medical laboratory in Kenya
• How to set up a dental clinic in Kenya
• Home care medical equipment checklist for Kenyan families

Buying, compliance and aftercare

• Medical equipment suppliers in Nairobi: what to check before you buy
• Medical equipment maintenance in Kenya: schedules and costs
• KEBS, PPB and medical device regulations in Kenya explained