What Hewatele does

Hewatele Limited is a Kenyan social enterprise founded in 2014 by the Center for Public Health and Development (CPHD) to address chronic shortages of medical oxygen in East Africa. The company produces and distributes medical and industrial gases through a hub-and-spoke model anchored by Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants in Siaya, Nakuru, Nairobi, Maua, and Kisumu, with a new 20-ton-per-day cryogenic Air Separation Unit (ASU) under construction at the Tatu City Special Economic Zone scheduled for commissioning in December 2025. Once online, this will be the largest, most energy-efficient, and fully automated oxygen manufacturing facility in East Africa, projected to reduce healthcare oxygen costs by approximately 50%.

Hewatele serves 377 healthcare facilities across 27 Kenyan counties, with an estimated 54,000 beneficiaries, and operates international maintenance partnerships with WHO in Somalia and Joint Medical Services in Uganda. Revenue is generated through multiple streams: usage-based supply of medical oxygen and industrial gases (argon, nitrogen, acetylene, anhydrous ammonia), hardware sales of cylinders, valves, trolleys, and cryogenic tanks, professional services for PSA installation and maintenance, and training programs for healthcare and industrial personnel. The go-to-market relies on direct enterprise sales, public-private partnerships with county governments, and strategic relationships with Kenya's Ministry of Health and KEMSA (Kenya Medical Supplies Authority).

The company is privately held and has raised approximately $50.5M+ in cumulative disclosed funding from Soros Economic Development Fund, FinnFund, UBS Optimus Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, DFC, and AfricInvest. Ownership spans Hewatele Holdings (founder representation), Hewatele Limited, and Hewatele SEZ, with board representation from founder Dr. Bernard Olayo and major institutional investors.

Name

Hewatele

Legal name

Hewatele Limited

Website

https://hewatele.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hewatele is a Kenyan social enterprise founded in 2014 that produces and distributes affordable medical and industrial gases via PSA plants and a new LOX/ASU facility, serving 377 healthcare facilities across 27 Kenyan counties plus operations in Somalia and Uganda.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Oxygen and Industrial Gas Manufacturing

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Industrial Gas Manufacturing (325120), Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)

SIC

Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564), Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply (4961)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Separation (Oxygen/Nitrogen/Argon) (IMAEACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Gas & Air Separation Equipment (ASU, PSA, Cryogenic Systems) (IMAHAEAI), Gas Separation & Purification Adsorbents (PSA/TSA) (IMAEAIAI)

Keywords

• Medical oxygen supply
• Industrial gas distribution
• PSA oxygen plants
• Liquid oxygen manufacturing
• Medical gas solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical Oxygen Supply: Supply of medical oxygen to hospitals and healthcare facilities across Kenya and East Africa through PSA plants and LOX distribution network.
2. Industrial Gases: Supply of industrial gases including argon, nitrogen, acetylene, and anhydrous ammonia to manufacturing sectors.
3. Equipment and Accessories: Sales of oxy-therapy sets, cylinder valves, trolleys, high pressure medical cylinders, and portable cryogenic tanks.
4. PSA Installation and Maintenance Services: Installation and maintenance of Pressure Swing Adsorption plants for healthcare facilities and partners.
5. Training Services: Capacity-building sessions for healthcare professionals on safe handling and use of medical gases, and welding applications training for manufacturing personnel.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hewatele manufactures and distributes affordable medical oxygen and industrial gases to hospitals, clinics, and manufacturing facilities across Kenya and East Africa. It operates a network of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants in multiple Kenyan counties and is building East Africa's largest liquid oxygen (LOX) Air Separation Unit at Tatu City, complemented by equipment sales, installation, maintenance, and training services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Oxygen Supply Supply of high-purity medical oxygen to hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities for patient care, respiratory therapy, anesthesia, surgery, and COVID-19 treatment.
• Industrial Gases Supply of industrial gases including argon, nitrogen, acetylene, and anhydrous ammonia to manufacturing and industrial customers for welding, manufacturing, and food processing applications.
• Medical Equipment and Accessories Sales of oxy-therapy sets, cylinder valves, trolleys, high-pressure medical cylinders, and portable cryogenic tanks used to deliver and administer medical gases.
• PSA Installation and Maintenance Services Professional installation and maintenance services for Pressure Swing Adsorption plants for healthcare facilities and partners, including overseas deployments.
• Training Services Capacity-building sessions for healthcare professionals on safe handling and use of medical gases, and welding applications training for manufacturing personnel, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 377 healthcare facilities served across 27 counties
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• African Mission HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with African Mission Healthcare to build, design and maintain a duplex oxygen PSA plant at Maua Methodist Hospital in Meru County.
• Center for Public Health and Development (CPHD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPHD is the founding organization that established Hewatele in 2014 as a social enterprise to address medical oxygen challenges in Kenya and Eastern Africa. CPHD is dedicated to improving access to quality health services through targeted training and support.
• World Health Organization (WHO) SomaliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHewatele undertakes maintenance of eight PSA plants in Somalia through a partnership with WHO Somalia, one of Africa's most fragile regions.
• Joint Medical Services (Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Joint Medical Services in Kampala Uganda involving three PSA lines for oxygen production.
• Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEMSA is the government agency responsible for procurement and supply of medical commodities in Kenya. Hewatele CEO visited KEMSA offices for strategic engagement.
• Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHewatele founder and CEO met with MEDS Board Chairman to discuss collaboration on medical supplies.
• Tatu CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTatu City Special Economic Zone hosts Hewatele's LOX manufacturing facility - East Africa's largest oxygen plant. The partnership provides strategic location for industrial oxygen production.
• County Governments (Siaya, Nakuru, Nairobi, Kisumu, Bungoma)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnerships with multiple county governments for establishment of PSA plants and distribution networks. Partnerships include Siaya County (inaugural plant), Nakuru County, Nairobi County, Kisumu County, and depots in Bungoma County.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Linde plc (formerly BOC Kenya): Linde plc is the global leader in industrial and medical gases following the 2018 Praxair–Linde merger and operates a Kenyan subsidiary (formerly BOC Kenya) supplying oxygen, nitrogen, and argon to healthcare and industrial customers. It is the most established incumbent competing directly with Hewatele in Kenya for medical and industrial gas supply, but as part of a global portfolio rather than an East Africa specialist.
• Air Liquide: Air Liquide is a French multinational and one of the world's largest industrial and medical gas producers with a presence in Kenya and broader East Africa. It competes directly with Hewatele in supplying medical oxygen and industrial gases to hospitals and manufacturers, but with global scale, on-site pipeline supply capabilities, and a broader product portfolio.
• Air Products and Chemicals: Air Products is a major global industrial gas company supplying oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and related equipment with growing operations across Africa. It is a comparable incumbent competing in the same medical and industrial gas category as Hewatele, especially in cryogenic air separation and on-site gas supply, though at far greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Messer SE & Co. KGaA: Messer is a privately-held global industrial and medical gas producer and the largest family-owned player in the industry, with operations across Africa including medical oxygen supply. It is a comparable global incumbent in the same product categories as Hewatele, particularly medical oxygen and LOX, though Messer operates at substantially larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• SOL Group: SOL Group is an Italian multinational producing and distributing industrial and medical gases across Europe, Africa, and Asia, including a home-care medical oxygen business. It overlaps with Hewatele in medical oxygen production, ASU-based LOX manufacturing, and healthcare customer service, though SOL is a much larger, geographically diversified player.
• Praxair Surface Technologies (Linde): Praxair, now part of Linde plc, was one of the two global industrial gas majors that merged to form Linde and historically competed with BOC (Linde Kenya) across Africa. It is comparable to Hewatele as a competing global supplier of medical oxygen, industrial gases, and ASU/LOX infrastructure, though it operates at materially larger scale and global reach.

Regional players

• African Oxygen Limited (Afrox): Afrox is Sub-Saharan Africa's largest industrial gas company (part of the Linde Group) supplying medical and industrial gases across Southern and parts of East Africa. It is highly comparable to Hewatele in core product (medical oxygen, LOX, industrial gases) and target customer segments (hospitals, manufacturers), but primarily serves Southern Africa rather than competing head-to-head in Kenya.

Emerging players

• Iwatani Corporation: Iwatani is a Japanese industrial gas company with a growing international footprint in medical and industrial gases, including hydrogen and helium, and operations in select African markets. It is comparable to Hewatele in producing and distributing industrial/medical gases including LOX, though its primary focus on hydrogen and helium differentiates it as an adjacent rather than direct competitor.

Others

• Atlas Copco (Gas and Process Division): Atlas Copco's Gas and Process division manufactures on-site nitrogen and oxygen PSA generators and cryogenic ASU equipment sold to gas producers including those serving medical markets. It is comparable to Hewatele as an enabling equipment provider in the same PSA/ASU air-separation technology stack, though Atlas Copco sells capital equipment rather than competing directly as a medical gas supplier.
• Honeywell UOP (PSA Adsorbents): Honeywell UOP supplies the zeolite adsorbents and PSA technology platforms used in Pressure Swing Adsorption oxygen and nitrogen generators, including those deployed in medical oxygen plants across Africa. It is comparable to Hewatele as an upstream technology and consumables supplier within the same PSA-based medical oxygen production value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hewa_tele
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hewatele-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hewatele