Hewatele

Focused on Saving Lives

Hewatele Hewatele, a social enterprise established in Kenya in 2014 by the Center for Public Health and Development (CPHD), aims to address the challenges surrounding the availability, affordability, and accessibility of safe medical oxygen in Kenya and other Eastern African countries.

Hewatele’s first Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plant in Siaya County was established as a public-private partnership (PPP) with the county government of Siaya, supported by grant funding from the General Electric Foundation. Subsequent plants were developed in Nakuru at Nakuru Level 6 Hospital and Nairobi at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital with concessionary loan funding from Grand Challenges Canada and additional contributions from UNICEF for the Nairobi facility.

In collaboration with African Mission Healthcare, Hewatele established PSA plant at Maua Methodist Hospital. Additionally, the organization expanded its operations with another facility in Kisumu County. To further meet the growing demand for medical oxygen, Hewatele set up a depot in Bungoma. Additionally, Hewatele is undertaking maintenance of eight PSA plants in Somalia—one of Africa’s most fragile regions—through a partnership with the World Health Organization, WHO Somalia and three PSA lines in collaboration with Joint Medical Services in Kampala Uganda.

Hewatele is presently engaged in a project to install a 20-ton-per-day medical Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Nitrogen Air Separation Unit (ASU) at Tatu City Special Economic Zone. To meet the growing demand for medical and industrial gases across Kenya, we are establishing a state-of-the-art Liquid Oxygen (LOX) refilling and distribution station in Kisumu. Complementing this effort, four additional depots will be launched in Nakuru, Meru, Nyeri, and Makueni. These strategic expansions are designed to strengthen our national distribution network, improve last-mile delivery, and ensure timely access to life-saving oxygen solutions for healthcare and industrial partners throughout the region. As part of its hub-and-spoke distribution model, Hewatele is also installing Liquid Oxygen (LOX) cryogenic tanks at strategic national referral hospitals to ensure efficient and reliable medical oxygen supply.