In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world seemed to grind to a halt. Lockdowns, quarantines, and restricted movements became the new normal. But even as cities closed down, hospitals remained desperate for essential medical supplies. It was during this time that I noticed a glaring gap: unlike most products, medical devices and supplies were not easily accessible through e-commerce like Jumia, Kilimall, or Jiji.
For me, this was more than an observation — it was a calling. The idea was simple but powerful: create an online platform where medical devices could be listed, suppliers could connect with buyers, and the healthcare supply chain could adapt to the new digital reality. However, I also understood that medical supplies were not like any other product. They are regulated, pricing structures were complex, and in markets like Kenya, high-value purchases could not easily be made through mobile money such as M-PESA or card payments.
To address this, I envisioned not just an online shop, but an exhibition-style platform. Suppliers would create company profiles, list their products, and receive leads from interested buyers. Buyers could request product quotations directly, or even post “general quotations” — open inquiries visible to multiple suppliers. It was a lead-generation model tailored to the unique needs of the medical supply chain, starting in Kenya with a plan to roll it out across Africa.
The name DigimedExpo was born: Digital Medical Exposition.
1. The First Attempt (2021–2022)
In mid-2021, I began engaging IT firms to bring this vision to life. It was my first direct interaction with a software development company, and I was optimistic. I attended meetings with their team, eager to see my idea materialize.
Unfortunately, things went downhill quickly. Instead of building a custom solution, the developers purchased a generic WordPress theme and tried to customize it. It was not what I had envisioned. As delays piled up, they convinced me to let them rebuild the system from scratch — but again, promises were broken. When I demanded accountability, I received only a partial refund.
Determined to move forward, I turned to a second company. We signed a contract with clear timelines, but the deadline came and went with no working system. After countless excuses, what I eventually received months later was only an MVP — barely functional but enough to begin onboarding suppliers.
At the same time, I had taken a bold step: I rented office space, furnished it, and assembled a team of four employees, preparing to launch. But as weeks dragged on with no functioning platform, my office sat idle. For months, we had space, staff, and overheads — but nothing to work with. It was a painful loss.
When the MVP finally came, my team began marketing in earnest. By late 2022, we had onboarded 14 companies, all on trial plans. But the site was unstable. The developer blamed hosting issues, forcing me to buy external servers. These only hosted the frontend, while the backend remained on the developer’s unpaid servers. Each time their servers were suspended, DigimedExpo went offline. Eventually, their servers were deleted — and with them, DigimedExpo Version 1 was lost forever.
2. The Collapse and Rethink (2022–2023)
By the end of 2022, the expenses of maintaining an idle office, covering stipends, and paying utilities became unbearable. I had to make a painful decision: I asked my team to step aside and began operating alone. By March 2023, I closed the office altogether to rethink my strategy.
I pursued legal action in the small claims court and was awarded compensation, to be paid in installments. The developer began complying in bits and pieces but later lured me again with a promise: they would redevelop DigimedExpo at no extra cost. I agreed, but once again, months were wasted. By December 2023, frustrated, I told them to delete the code repository.
3. The Turning Point (2023–2024)
At that point, I realized the hard truth: I was the one carrying the brunt of these failures, and unless I took control, DigimedExpo would never see the light of day. In December 2023, I began learning software development myself. I purchased a course, supplemented it with YouTube tutorials, and immersed myself in the MERN stack — MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js.
From January 2024, I committed myself fully. Day after day, month after month, I built my skills while piecing together DigimedExpo from scratch. There were days I woke up before dawn and coded late into the night, with only short breaks for meals. Many days passed without me stepping outside. It wasn’t easy, but I was driven by the conviction that no one understood this vision better than I did.
For 21 months, I learned and built simultaneously. And finally, in September 2025, DigimedExpo has been reborn — bigger, stronger, and more robust than ever.
4. The New DigimedExpo (2025 and Beyond)
Today, DigimedExpo is no longer a small Kenyan-focused experiment. It is a global digital marketplace and a complete ecosystem for the medical supply chain. It now has dedicated modules for:
- Manufacturers
- Distributors
- Biomedical Engineers
- Logistics Companies
- Buyers
On DigimedExpo, a buyer in one country can identify a product, negotiate with the seller, engage a shipping company, and even hire a biomedical engineer — all within the same platform.
Suppliers can now respond to RFQs (Requests for Quotations), while buyers can post inquiries and receive competitive bids. The platform also supports job postings and applications, making it not just a marketplace, but a hub for talent and opportunities in the medical device sector.
5. A Journey of Struggle and Determination
Looking back, the journey of DigimedExpo is one of resilience against all odds. I endured betrayal from developers, financial strain from idle offices, and countless moments when it seemed easier to quit. But instead of giving up, I chose to learn, to build, and to take ownership of my vision.
What started as an idea during the dark days of COVID-19 is now bound to become a global platform — proof that determination, even in the face of repeated failure, can give birth to something transformative.
This is the story of DigimedExpo.
This is my story.
Stay tuned for more insights. And please, let’s create awareness about it — that is the most honourable way to support me.
