Medical equipment in Kenya can be bought from a classifieds listing, a marketplace seller, an importer, or a supplier who will still be reachable in three years. The prices differ less than people expect. What differs is what happens after the money changes hands.
The eight questions worth asking before you buy
1. Is the device registered, and can you show me?
Medical devices are regulated in Kenya by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, with standards and conformity handled by KEBS. A supplier who cannot tell you the regulatory status of what they are selling is telling you something important. For a facility, an unregistered device is a finding at inspection and it is your finding, not the seller.
2. What exactly is in the quoted price?
The most common source of dispute is accessories. On an operating table, are arm boards and the mattress included? On a patient monitor, how many cuff sizes and how many SpO2 probes? On a dental chair, is the compressor in the price? Ask for the quotation to list what is in the box, item by item.
3. What is the warranty, and who honours it?
A warranty is only worth the entity standing behind it. Ask how long, what it covers, whether it covers labour and transport, and critically, where the repair happens. A twelve-month warranty that requires the machine to go back to a supplier abroad is not a warranty you can use.
4. Do you install and commission?
Anything with plumbing, compressed air, ceiling mounting, calibration or alarm limits needs commissioning, not delivery. Equipment left boxed in a corner because nobody was trained to set it up is one of the most common things we find when we walk into a new facility.
5. Do you train the staff who will actually use it?
Not the matron who signs for delivery. The night nurse. Ask whether training is included, how long it takes, and whether it can be repeated when staff turn over.
6. What are the consumables, and can I get them here?
This is the question that separates a good purchase from an expensive mistake. Analyser reagents, monitor probes, glucometer strips, suction tubing, diathermy plates. Ask the cost per unit and the local availability. An orphaned device with unobtainable consumables is dead equipment, and we see it every month.
7. Can you service it, and what does a service contract cost?
Ask whether they have technicians in Kenya, what their response time is, and what an annual service and calibration costs. Get it in writing before purchase, not after a breakdown.
8. Will you supply references and tender documentation?
For county and institutional procurement, a supplier who cannot produce tax compliance, registration documents and references for similar installations will slow your process down at the worst moment.
Where each channel actually makes sense
| Channel | Reasonable for | Poor choice for |
|---|---|---|
| Classifieds and marketplaces | Low-value consumables and accessories you can inspect | Anything with a warranty, calibration, installation or consumables chain |
| Direct import | Large institutional orders with in-house biomedical engineering | Single units, first purchases, anything needing local service |
| Specialist medical supplier | Capital equipment, facility fit-outs, anything regulated or serviced | Nothing much, if the supplier is a real one |
The reason serious buyers move off classifieds for equipment above roughly KSh 100,000 is not snobbery. It is that a classified listing has no warranty, no installation, no training, no service and no traceable regulatory status, and every one of those becomes your problem the first time the equipment stops working.
Red flags
- A price far below every other quotation, with no explanation of what has been left out.
- No physical address, or an address that is a phone number and a WhatsApp line only.
- Reluctance to put the warranty terms in writing.
- No answer on consumable availability in Kenya.
- Refurbished equipment sold without disclosing that it is refurbished.
- Pressure to pay in full before delivery on a first transaction with no documentation.
What to expect from us
We publish prices rather than hiding them behind a request form, we quote what is actually in the box, we install and commission, we train the staff who use the equipment, we stock the consumables, and we service what we sell. Delivery covers all 47 counties. If you are equipping a facility, the clinic guide, laboratory guide and dental guide set out complete lists, and the starter packs let you order a whole room in one go.
Questions we are asked most often
Who regulates medical devices in Kenya?
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board regulates medical devices, KEBS handles standards and conformity, and radiation-emitting equipment is licensed separately by the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
Is it cheaper to import equipment directly?
Sometimes on the headline price, rarely once duty, freight, clearing, installation, warranty risk and consumable supply are counted. It makes sense for large institutional orders with in-house engineering support.
Should I buy refurbished equipment?
It can be sound value for high-ticket items if the refurbishment is disclosed, documented and warranted, and if the supplier can service it locally. Undisclosed refurbishment is a reason to walk away.
Do you supply county hospitals and tenders?
Yes, with the documentation, delivery, installation and training that institutional procurement requires.