Kenyans have been urged to translate its investments in digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) into productive ventures, stronger enterprises and improved public services.
Principal Secretary (PS) for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Stephen Isaboke, said the country must focus on equipping citizens with relevant digital and AI skills while supporting workers and sectors likely to experience hitches occasioned by technological advances.
Speaking Monday, during a workshop on Kenya’s Digital and AI Dividend themed ‘From Promise to Practical Action’ held at the Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi, Isaboke said AI was already transforming workplaces, businesses and public institutions.
“The future of work must be at the centre of this conversation,” he said, citing World Bank analysis showing that about 87 per cent of Kenyan workers are in occupations with relatively low direct exposure to AI, while nine per cent are in highly exposed occupations, where AI is likely to complement their work.
He said about four per cent of workers are in highly exposed occupations facing greater displacement risks, adding that the focus should shift from whether AI would take jobs to how workers and institutions could prepare for an economy where AI becomes an important tool for productivity and innovation.
Isaboke said Kenya needed broad AI literacy among citizens, public servants, teachers, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and informal workers, alongside advanced capabilities among researchers, developers and data specialists.
He said Kenya should seek to become a builder and innovator of AI solutions rather than merely a consumer, particularly in areas such as Kiswahili and local-languages AI, agriculture, climate resilience, tourism and public-service delivery.
The PS said the Government had established a policy and institutional foundation for the digital economy through initiatives, including the National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, National E-Commerce Strategy 2023 and National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030.
He said the next step was to strengthen digital infrastructure, data governance, interoperability and secure information exchange, while ensuring that AI development respected privacy and citizens’ rights.
“The digital and AI dividend will not be realised simply because technology is available,” Isaboke said, adding that its value would be demonstrated through improved productivity for farmers, expanded markets, for MSMEs, better learning, faster public services and new opportunities for young Kenyans.
The PS called for stronger partnerships among Government, the private sector, academia, civil society and development partners to translate Kenya’s digital potential into inclusive economic opportunities and improved livelihoods.
By Zipporah Odionyi and Emmanuel Mwendwa
