Kenya has unveiled an ambitious Artificial Intelligence (AI) deployment strategy aimed at transforming key sectors, including healthcare, education, and agriculture. The newly published Kenya AI Strategy 2025-2030 by the Ministry of ICT also highlights AI’s role in enhancing public service delivery, strengthening security, supporting the creative industry, and fostering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In healthcare, the government is exploring AI-driven solutions such as a maternal health chatbot in local dialects to provide accurate pregnancy and childbirth information, along with an expanded disease advisory system that integrates with existing platforms to improve disease surveillance and response. The education sector is set to benefit from AI-powered intelligent tutoring systems and multilingual teacher training modules designed to improve instructional quality and accessibility. Agriculture will also see advancements through AI applications, including the translation of complex agricultural data into farmer-friendly audio formats in local languages and AI-powered fertilizer recommendation systems to enhance productivity.
The strategy also outlines the role of AI in modernizing public service delivery, with plans to implement multilingual chatbots and virtual assistants to streamline services. The creative industry is expected to gain from an AI-powered national digital creative platform that will enhance market access and support local content creators. To ensure the successful adoption of AI, the government has identified three foundational pillars: modernizing national digital infrastructure to support AI development, establishing a robust data ecosystem to fuel innovation, and encouraging the development of localized AI solutions tailored to Kenya’s socio-economic needs.
As AI adoption accelerates, Kenya faces challenges, including the need for a clear legal framework to address concerns about transparency, ethical use, and regulatory oversight. Experts caution that ensuring responsible AI deployment is essential for fostering public trust and maximizing the technology’s benefits. The AI Strategy 2025-2030 marks a significant step in Kenya’s digital transformation, positioning the country to harness AI’s potential to drive innovation, improve services, and create new economic opportunities.
