Kenya has been urged to scale up Internet connectivity access to its citizens, alongside a raft of other supportive infrastructure upgrades, to tap into the potential of disruptive technology artificial intelligence (AI).
Microsoft Kenya Country Manager Phyllis Migwi said deeper Internet connectivity would help Kenya reap from AI technology, which allows computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving tasks.
“To drive Kenya’s AI transformation, scalable, secure, and high-speed cloud and AI services are essential,” she told participants at an AI conference in Nairobi.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) data shows that fixed Internet subscriptions stood at 1.5 million last September, while mobile broadband stood at 39.8 million.
The private sector in Kenya has already gone big on the adoption of AI technology in prime economic sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and mining.
“Kenya’s tech sector has a great story to tell when it comes to the adoption of advanced digital tools like AI and machine learning…As AI continues to revolutionise industries, it is imperative that Kenya equips its workforce with the necessary skills to thrive in this new era,” said Ms Migwi.
Kenya is presently gearing up to publish its national strategy on AI by May in a race to plug loopholes amid the fast-growing popularity of the technology.
ICT and Digital Economy Principal Secretary John Tanui said the strategy would be modelled on global best practices.
“These are tools that we can utilise as a country and region, and we do not want to be left behind. We’ve seen initiatives that have made it possible for even smaller companies now to adopt AI and deploy models quickly with limited resources” he said on the sidelines of the 2025 Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.
Kenya lacks a legal framework for the deployment of AI, a gap that has raised fears about the technology’s security.
A draft Kenya National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, published in January, seeks to introduce a governance framework to guide the use of AI.
“Public trust in AI technologies and their developers is also currently lacking, leading to scepticism about the intentions behind AI deployment,” reads part of the draft.
“There is also a need to ensure that AI development respects human rights and aligns with Kenyan values."
The draft Kenya National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025 – 2030 targets to roll out a governance framework that will promote the use of technology in sectors such as agriculture, security, healthcare, education, and public service delivery.
