President William Ruto has launched Kenya’s National Ambulance Dispatch Centre, alongside a new toll-free emergency number, 922, aimed at guaranteeing access to emergency medical care for all Kenyans regardless of ability to pay.
The launch took place August 5 at the Social Health Authority (SHA) headquarters in Nairobi, with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and national and county leaders in attendance. Officials describe it as the country’s first centralized emergency medical dispatch platform serving all 47 counties.
Branded the “SHA 922 Lifeline,” the system allows Kenyans to dial 922 free of charge on any mobile network, even without airtime, to summon an ambulance. The digital command centre, housed at SHA, coordinates deployment among more than 600 accredited public and private ambulances, including those run by county governments, the Kenya Red Cross and St John Ambulance.
Ruto said the new system would not replace existing county ambulance services but would link them into a single nationwide dispatch network, cutting response times and improving coordination between responders and health facilities.
Duale said the centre had been in preparation for weeks and represented a shift toward digitizing Kenya’s emergency response infrastructure. The centre also coordinates patient referrals, aiming to ensure critical cases reach appropriate facilities faster.
The launch comes as the Ministry of Health continues broader investment in emergency preparedness, including plans for a 200-bed National Infectious Diseases Centre at Kenyatta National Hospital, which officials say will integrate diagnosis and treatment for infectious disease outbreaks.
Health officials have not yet released performance data on the new dispatch system’s response times since launch, saying evaluation will follow after an initial rollout period.
