Afya Gemma, an AI-powered clinical decision support platform developed by Aga Khan University, is set to transform healthcare delivery in Kenya by aiding clinicians with real-time, evidence-based guidance.
On Tuesday, the platform was announced as a participant in the prestigious 2025 Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI, selected from nearly 3,000 global applicants. This recognition comes with access to a $30 million funding pool, Google Cloud credits, and expert mentorship to scale its impact across Kenya’s healthcare system.
AI-Driven support to bridge healthcare gaps
Kenya faces a critical shortage of doctors, with just over 10,000 serving a population exceeding 52 million. Afya Gemma addresses this challenge by delivering localised clinical guidance to frontline healthcare workers, especially in under-resourced and rural areas.
The platform integrates anonymised national Electronic Health Record (EHR) data, Kenya-specific clinical protocols, and peer-reviewed research, enabling clinicians to ask natural language questions in English and Swahili and receive evidence-based recommendations instantly.
Farhana Alarakhiya, Chief Data Innovation Officer at Aga Khan University and Principal Investigator for Afya Gemma, emphasised the platform’s mission:
“Afya Gemma was built to help close this gap. By harnessing generative AI, we’re democratising clinical knowledge, making it instantly accessible to frontline healthcare workers through natural language queries in English and Swahili. With Google.org’s support, we can accelerate the localisation and refinement of our models, ensuring that even the most remote clinics have access to the same quality of insights as urban hospitals.”
Expanding reach and enhancing care quality
Initially, Afya Gemma will be deployed in 40 Aga Khan University Hospital and Aga Khan Health Services facilities to improve decision-making and care quality across Kenya. The platform’s multilingual interface ensures accessibility for Kenya’s diverse healthcare workforce, and its insights are tailored to regional disease trends and clinical guidelines. Google.org’s backing will help refine Afya Gemma’s algorithms and broaden its reach, marking a significant step toward equitable healthcare through AI.
This initiative highlights Kenya’s growing role in leveraging advanced AI technologies to address healthcare challenges and improve outcomes in low-resource settings. Through partnerships with global leaders like Google, Afya Gemma exemplifies how technology can empower clinicians and enhance medical services nationwide.
About Afya Gemma
Afya Gemma is a digital health innovation developed by Aga Khan University, drawing on the institution’s longstanding commitment to research, education, and healthcare service in East Africa. The platform builds on AKU’s expertise in integrating clinical research with practical healthcare delivery and leverages collaborations across the Aga Khan Development Network, which has a history of impactful health programs in Kenya and beyond.
AKU’s strategic approach emphasises partnerships and sustainable growth, enabling Afya Gemma to benefit from a robust network of healthcare facilities and academic resources.
The initiative reflects AKU’s broader mission to use technology and knowledge to improve health outcomes in underserved communities, positioning Afya Gemma as a model for AI-driven healthcare support in Africa.
