The government has called for stronger oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, warning that criminals increasingly use the technology to launch cyberattacks that expose organisations to private data breaches and financial losses.
Internal Auditor-General at National Treasury, Dr Sammy Kimunguyi, said human responsibility must remain central to AI adoption, even as institutions delegate tasks and decision-making to automated systems.
Speaking when he opened the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Kenya chapter conference in Naivasha, Dr Kimunguyi said effective governance, risk management and cybersecurity were essential to ensuring that emerging technologies serve the public interest.
“The Communications Authority reported that Kenya detected more than eleven billion cyber threats in the last financial year, and criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to make their attacks more convincing,” he said.
He said cloned voices and fabricated videos could undermine public confidence and expose institutions to financial losses, terming cybersecurity a national security matter.
Dr. Kimunguyi said the government was on the front line in combating the threats and had established the National Cybersecurity Agency to coordinate the national cybersecurity strategy and incident response and to protect critical information infrastructure.
He said the Kenya National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, launched last year, focuses on digital infrastructure, data, research and innovation, supported by governance, talent development, investment and ethics.
He added that the Cabinet has also set up a Standing Cabinet Committee on Artificial Intelligence, while the draft Kenya Artificial Intelligence and Other Emerging Technologies Policy has been subjected to public participation.
Dr. Kimunguyi said the already adopted Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act gives the government tools to tackle phishing, identity theft, SIM-swap fraud and other crimes affecting ordinary Kenyans.
He added that the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is developing guidance on AI and privacy under the Data Protection Act.
The Auditor said the government was laying thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cable and adopting digital servers to support and secure citizens’ data.
With AI increasingly influencing decisions in financial services, healthcare and public service delivery, Dr. Kimunguyi said institutions must be able to explain automated decisions and address errors.
He urged internal auditors to adopt continuous assurance practices to test the accuracy and reliability of AI models and called on boards and executives to set clear oversight mechanisms.
The Internal Auditor General urged cybersecurity professionals to monitor emerging threats and report incidents promptly and called for closer collaboration among government, the private sector, academia and professional associations.
ISACA Kenya Chapter President, Boniface Asiligwa, said the rapid adoption of AI was outpacing legal, regulatory and governance frameworks, exposing organisations to new risks.
“The main challenge is not AI itself, but the widening gap between the rapid adoption of technology and the slower evolution of governance, legal and regulatory frameworks, and organisational capabilities,” he said.
Asiligwa said autonomous AI agents can now gather information, make decisions and execute tasks with limited human intervention, whereas traditional governance systems often rely on human oversight at every stage.
He said Kenya and Africa face heightened risk because of growing internet use and uptake of AI tools and called for strong legal frameworks, noting that 55 per cent of cyber-related threats were in Africa.
He urged African countries to develop their own AI technologies and governance frameworks reflecting local social and economic realities and asked professionals to assess whether existing frameworks were adequate without stifling innovation.
Organisations, he said, must define the authority delegated to AI systems and set limits so that humans remain responsible for outcomes.
Asiligwa dismissed fears that AI would automatically eliminate jobs, noting that AI is a tool that will enable people to work better, work smarter, and work more efficiently and faster.
Biyi Adeniran, Principal Consultant at ISSEC Inc, a global organisation on technology, called for greater collaboration to mitigate growing risks linked to AI tools and agents.
ISACA Kenya Chief Executive Officer, Lyndah Makungu, said the conference offered a platform for officials, regulators, auditors, risk professionals and technology experts to develop solutions for responsible AI adoption.
She said ISACA supports professionals through certifications, training and industry engagement in IT governance, cybersecurity and risk management.
By Erastus Gichohi and Beatrice Wanjiku
