Why Access First Exists
One Week in Hospital Cost My Family Approximately KES 500,000.
Like many Kenyans living abroad, I believed that sending money home whenever an emergency occurred was enough.
Then my mother was hospitalized.
Within one week, our family spent approximately KES 500,000 on hospital care. The financial cost was painful, but the deeper frustration was realizing how unprepared we were. We had no suitable health plan in place, no simple way to compare options, and no trusted platform through which I could help manage her healthcare from abroad.
I know my experience is not unique.
Every day, Kenyans living around the world receive urgent calls about a parent, spouse, child, sibling, or relative who needs medical care back home. Families are forced to raise large amounts of money at short notice, often without clear information about insurance, hospital costs, coverage limits, exclusions, or available alternatives.
Access First was created from that experience.
Our goal is to organize members, understand their needs, and build a trusted pathway for accessing healthcare and other essential services in Kenya before the next emergency happens.
We should not have to wait for a medical crisis before protecting the people we love.
“I spent approximately KES 500,000 when my mother was hospitalized for one week. Access First is being built so families can prepare before the emergency—not after it.”
Founder, Access First