AGP Executive Report

AI & Startups: Meta has chosen 10 Kenyan AI startups for a Nairobi pitch contest, with two winners set to receive $5,000 each and a chance to pitch in Istanbul. Google’s Africa policy chief says Kenya needs better devices, stronger skills and balanced AI rules to become an AI builder, not just a user. Innovation: KeNIA used a Tana River summit to connect county leaders with young innovators and push commercialisation of local ideas. Digital Safety: A report says 77% of Kenyans have been targeted by digital fraud; Safaricom says AI blocks 94% of fraud attempts. Digital Economy: Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo says digital investment should help small businesses find customers, access finance and reach regional markets. A separate report estimates a $209 billion financing gap for Black-owned and -led businesses across five African markets, including Kenya. Public Health: Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola case among close contacts of the first patient, prompting continued surveillance.

Digital Services: Bolt launched Bolt Plus in Kenya at Sh280 a month, offering ride cashback, free delivery on eligible orders and priority service. Clean Transport: Finnfund committed €10 million to help Bisedge expand its electric forklift fleet in Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. Health Research: Researchers in Kenya reported a Candida auris infection resistant to all four major antifungal drug classes, highlighting the threat of hard-to-treat hospital infections. Ebola Response: Kenya confirmed a second case in a quarantined contact; separately, a report says the Ministry of Health disabled a disease-tracking tool, disrupting updates on suspected cases and contact tracing. Cybersecurity: A new report says 77% of Kenyans were targeted by digital fraud, as officials warn of AI-powered cybercrime. Tech Jobs: Microsoft plans to close its Nairobi engineering hub, a setback for the country’s digital ambitions. Renewable Energy: Kenyan firm Solarise Africa won a $1.12 million grant to expand its solar leasing business into Uganda and Zambia.

Tech Jobs: Microsoft is preparing to close its Nairobi Africa Development Centre, putting nearly 400 jobs at risk and dealing a blow to Kenya’s ambitions as a hub for engineering talent. Digital Security: Nearly eight in 10 Kenyans were targeted by digital fraud in the three months to May, while investigators say fake eTIMS invoices worth Sh42 billion were used in a scheme to claim about Sh4 billion in VAT. Ebola Response: Kenya confirmed a second Bundibugyo Ebola case in a relative already under quarantine, showing how monitoring helped detect the infection early; no wider community spread has been reported. Language AI: A Kenyan-led project is documenting Kenyan English pronunciation and vocabulary to help build speech technology that better understands local speakers. Forecasting: Microsoft researchers say a machine-learning tool can improve two-to-six-week weather forecasts using ordinary computer processors, potentially helping farmers and emergency planners make decisions earlier.

AI and Society: Faith leaders, technologists and policymakers met in Nairobi to discuss human dignity, youth safety and African voices in AI. Kenya is also moving to deploy deepfake-detection tools ahead of the 2027 elections. Digital Skills: President Ruto opened a Jitume digital hub at a Uasin Gishu TVET campus, part of a network spanning 391 sites; meanwhile, cybersecurity training is targeting TVET students to help fill skills gaps. Tech Industry: Microsoft’s planned closure of its Nairobi engineering centre puts local jobs and Kenya’s role in the company’s tech operations in focus. Science: Researchers say hippos transfer about 0.4 tonnes of silicon into the Mara River on a dry-season day, a flow that matters to aquatic life. Public Health: Kenya remains at one confirmed imported Ebola case, with contact tracing ongoing; two suspected cases in Nanyuki tested negative.

Digital Skills: President William Ruto launched a Jitume Digital Hub at a TVET campus in Uasin Gishu, as the government’s network expands to 391 sites to support training and online work. Tech Jobs: Microsoft’s Nairobi engineering centre faces closure amid global restructuring, putting local jobs at risk. Separately, Kenya and Microsoft discussed cooperation on digital skills, data flows and technology governance. Cybersecurity: A new report warns that cyberattacks targeting African organisations surged 421% from 2016 to 2025, underscoring the need to protect Kenya’s growing digital services. AI and Elections: A report highlights how AI-generated posts could make coordinated political messaging appear grassroots ahead of Kenya’s 2027 polls. Digital Rights: A regional study warns that poorly governed public digital systems can exclude people with limited connectivity or digital skills.

Tech Jobs: Microsoft plans to close part of its Nairobi engineering hub, while saying it will retain staff in Kenya and remain committed to the country. Cybersecurity: AI is helping attackers scale cybercrime and influence campaigns; a new report says cyberattacks in Africa rose 421% from 2016 to 2025, faster than the global increase. Digital Government: Kenya launched the Kenya School of Government’s eLITI institute as 1,239 public officers graduated from AI and digital transformation training. A new Jitume hub in Uasin Gishu brings the national network to 391 sites. AI and Elections: The state has ordered AI deepfake detection tools ahead of the 2027 polls, as concerns grow over technology-driven disinformation. Learning Technology: A Kenyan education leader argues that affordable digital tools can help teachers tailor lessons without replacing the relationships at the heart of learning.

Election Technology: Kenya plans to have AI deepfake-detection tools ready six months before the 2027 polls, with a protocol to verify manipulated content and communicate findings. Tech Jobs: Microsoft’s Nairobi engineering operations reportedly face closure amid global restructuring, though the company has not confirmed the centre’s full closure and says it will continue operating in Kenya. AI Governance: Kenya and France discussed cooperation on AI oversight, child safety online, environmental sustainability and emerging technologies. Cybersecurity: Mastercard projects Africa’s digital-payments economy will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, but says cyberattacks on African organisations rose more than 421% from 2016 to 2025. Public Health: Kenya declared Bundibugyo Ebola a formidable epidemic disease and introduced new screening and quarantine rules; tests have found no further cases after the first imported infection. Research: Kenya’s PhD graduates fell 16.6% last year to 852, with the university regulator warning that shrinking research funding could deepen staff shortages.

Digital Health: Kenya’s SHA is shifting hospitals from a separate claims portal to their existing health-management systems, aiming to cut duplicate work and patient delays. Green Logistics: A proposed €30 million cold-chain hub in Naivasha aims to lower fresh-produce transport costs by 25% and emissions by more than 90%; construction is targeted for 2028. Electric Mobility: Kenya-based ARC Ride has launched its Panther electric motorbike in South Africa, pairing it with battery swapping and projecting up to 20% savings in riders’ operating costs. AI and Online Speech: As Kenya approaches the 2027 election, questions are mounting over whether digital platforms can recognise political incitement in vernacular languages, where context can change a phrase’s meaning. Blockchain: Nairobi hosts the Africa Blockchain Festival on October 15–17, with more than 3,000 delegates expected to discuss investment, digital assets and regulation.

Ebola Watch: Kenya reported no new cases after 293 tests; 108 of the 122 identified contacts are quarantined, while border screening continues. The Health Ministry has also proposed a national disease-control centre to coordinate outbreak preparedness. Genomics: African researchers say the continent’s genetic diversity remains largely missing from medical studies—just 0.15% of participants in genome-wide studies are African—limiting the accuracy of some health findings for African patients. Digital Payments: A Nairobi workshop highlighted how fragmented networks, high fees and fraud risks still keep many people and small businesses from benefiting fully from instant payments. AI and Floods: Kenya Re is turning to artificial intelligence to help insurers predict flood risks, with university students invited to develop solutions.

Ebola Response: Kenya has quarantined 108 of the 122 contacts linked to its first imported case. No new infections have been recorded, and all contacts are being monitored. The Health Ministry has also proposed a national disease-control centre to coordinate outbreak preparedness and emergency response. Genomics: African researchers remain severely underrepresented in genetic studies, making health findings less reliable for African patients. Only about 0.15% of participants in genome-wide association studies are from Africa, researchers say. Applied AI: Kenya Re is turning to university students to develop an AI-powered tool to help insurers predict flood risks. Digital Economy: Kenya and Equity Group are exploring a partnership to advance digital services and financial inclusion.

Ebola Alert: Kenya’s first imported Bundibugyo case exposed gaps in border screening: the patient travelled from the DRC through Uganda and went undetected for weeks before dying in Nairobi. The outbreak has spread to another health zone in eastern DRC. Blockchain: Nairobi hosts the Africa Blockchain Festival on October 15–17, with discussions focused on practical uses for digital finance, trade and investment. Digital Economy: Kenya is exploring a partnership with Equity Group to link digital infrastructure and financial services, while plans for a central database aim to reduce privacy risks from recycled phone numbers. AI and Floods: Kenya Re has challenged university students to build an AI-powered tool to improve flood-risk assessment for insurers. Climate-Smart Farming: Kenyan scientists at the University of Eldoret are using tissue culture to develop clean, resilient planting materials as erratic weather threatens crops and food security.

Climate-Smart Farming: Kenyan scientists at the University of Eldoret are using tissue culture to produce cleaner, more resilient planting material as drought, crop disease and erratic rains threaten harvests. AI for Flood Risk: Kenya Re has challenged 90 students from 30 universities to build AI tools for assessing flood risks and helping insurers prepare for climate-related losses. Digital Privacy: The Communications Authority is proposing a central database to flag recycled phone numbers, helping banks and other services avoid sending sensitive messages to a number’s new owner. Ebola Response: Kenya is tracing contacts after its first confirmed imported Bundibugyo Ebola case; the patient travelled from the DRC through Uganda before being diagnosed in Nairobi, exposing gaps in cross-border screening. Agricultural Research: President William Ruto has launched cocoa as a scheduled cash crop in selected areas, with KALRO and KEPHIS expected to support seedling production.

Ebola Response: Kenya has identified 66 possible contacts of its first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case, whose symptoms were not flagged on arrival in Nairobi. The Health Ministry plans to distribute Sh171 million in lab equipment and protective gear to high-risk facilities; a suspected case in Wajir tested negative. Digital Safety: ICT officials faced Senate questions on digital safety, coordination and regulation as Kenya works to strengthen its online safeguards. Enterprise Tech: Safaricom has appointed Richard Muthua to lead cloud, cybersecurity and IoT, expanding its focus on business technology services. Wildlife Science: Researchers used machine learning to analyse elephant calls from Samburu and Amboseli, finding signs that elephants use distinct calls like names for one another. Clean Energy: Cabinet approved a Sh1.1 billion programme to support the uptake of 100,000 electric cooking appliances in four counties.

Ebola Response: WHO says Kenya’s first imported Ebola patient may have contracted the virus while receiving care in the DRC, highlighting infection-control concerns as investigators trace his journey and contacts. A suspected case in Wajir tested negative and was diagnosed as malaria. AI and Insurance: Kenya Re is turning to AI to help insurers assess flood risks, with 90 students from 30 universities developing catastrophe-modelling tools at its AI4I hackathon. Digital Economy: Kenya is reviewing its ICT law and pursuing accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, while exploring a partnership with Equity Group on digital infrastructure and financial inclusion. Health Research: Kenyan scientists are extracting venom from live snakes to develop an antivenom tailored to East African species. Tourism Technology: The Kenya Tourism Board is making online destination information easier for AI assistants to read and recommend as travellers increasingly use them to plan trips.

AI Infrastructure: Cassava Technologies has brought Dan Kwach back to lead its AI data-centre expansion, with Kenya among the markets targeted for NVIDIA-powered computing capacity. Coffee Research: President William Ruto ordered Sh100 million for a quality-analysis lab at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, aimed at supporting specialty coffee and small-lot auctions. Digital Connectivity: Access Partnership and AfriTrade will help companies navigate licensing and regulation for satellite, connectivity and other digital infrastructure projects in Kenya and East Africa. Digital Finance: M-KOPA says it has reached 10 million customers across five African markets and recorded $600 million in 2025 revenue. Public Health: A 20-year-old man suspected of Ebola in Wajir tested negative, easing fears of another Kenyan case; the country’s first confirmed patient died earlier this week.

Public Health: Kenya is tracing contacts after confirming its first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case; the patient, who travelled from the DRC via Uganda, died in Nairobi. Regional health officials are coordinating on cross-border surveillance. AI Skills: JKUAT has enrolled 80 students in three-month courses in AI and advanced coding, part of a wider push to close Kenya’s shortage of specialist digital talent. Medical Technology: IFC plans to lend Mombasa-based Revital Healthcare $10 million to expand cold-chain capacity and build a logistics hub, boosting its ability to serve regional markets. Wildlife Research: Scientists used machine learning to analyse 902 recordings from Amboseli, finding that elephant rumble choruses may convey coordinated group messages. Digital Finance: M-KOPA says it has reached 10 million customers and recorded $600 million in 2025 revenue, up 45% year on year. Agritech: East Africa Foods has raised about $40 million to expand infrastructure linking smallholder farmers with urban food markets.