On February 4, 2026, KICTANet convened a sectoral roundtable with academia and research institutions at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi, as part of the ongoing development of the Kenya Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies Policy. The policy development process is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy (MICDE) with KICTANet as the lead implementing partner and supported by the British High Commission (BHC) in Nairobi through its governance and digital transformation portfolio. This support forms part of the broader UK–Kenya strategic partnership on responsible AI and emerging technologies, underscoring the UK’s commitment to advancing ethical, inclusive, and transparent AI governance frameworks across Africa.
The session brought together government representatives, university leaders, and researchers to refine policy directions. The dialogue highlights the critical role of academia in shaping Kenya’s digital future: through research, innovation, and workforce development; while addressing gaps in funding, curricula, and ethical integration.Other sessions will engage the national and county governments, civil society organisations, special interest groups, media, the private sector and the tech community.
Below are the opening remarks made by Dr Grace Githaiga, CEO KICTANet:
The representative of the Secretary, the state department of ICT and the digital economy, other distinguished representatives from government, esteemed leaders from universities and research institutions, colleagues from policy, innovation, and civil society, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
On behalf of KICTANet, I am happy to welcome you to this sectoral roundtable convened as part of the ongoing development of the Kenya Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies Policy. We are grateful for your time, expertise, and continued commitment to shaping Kenya’s digital future.
KICTANet is pleased to be supporting this process in partnership with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy. From the outset, this policy development has been anchored in the principles of public participation, evidence-based decision-making, and inclusive governance, as required by the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the Public Policy Handbook.
The engagement today with academia and research institutions is both deliberate and strategic.
Universities and research centres occupy a unique and indispensable position in Kenya’s AI and emerging technologies ecosystem. You are the custodians of knowledge creation, the incubators of innovation, and the trainers of the current and future workforce that will design, deploy, audit, and govern these technologies.
As has already been established through the inception phase of this policy process, Kenya has made notable progress in building digital foundations—through policy instruments, infrastructure investments, and a growing innovation ecosystem. At the same time, significant gaps persist.
These include limited and fragmented research funding, misalignment between academic curricula and rapidly evolving technological realities, weak linkages between research and industry, and insufficient integration of ethical, legal, and societal considerations into technology development.
This roundtable is therefore not intended to revisit what has already been discussed at a general level. Rather, it is an opportunity to engage you in a focused and structured manner to help refine policy directions that are grounded in academic realities and research practice.
Specifically, we are seeking your input on issues such as:
- How national research and innovation priorities in AI and emerging technologies should be defined and sustained;
- How universities and research institutions can be better integrated into national innovation, regulatory, and skills development ecosystems;
- What policy interventions are required to modernise curricula, strengthen interdisciplinary research, and support ethical and responsible innovation;
- How Kenya can retain talent, strengthen local research capacity, and ensure that knowledge generated locally informs policy, industry, and public service delivery.
Your contributions today will directly inform the drafting of the policy. They will shape how Kenya positions research and academia not only as contributors to innovation, but as core institutions in governance, accountability, and long-term national resilience in the age of artificial intelligence.
As KICTANet, our role in this process is to facilitate open, informed, and constructive dialogue. We encourage candid engagement, critical reflection, and forward-looking proposals. The strength of this policy will depend on the quality of ideas and evidence brought into the process at this stage.
Again, allow me to thank you once again for your participation and partnership. We look forward to a productive session and to continuing this collaboration as the policy process advances toward drafting, validation, and implementation.
I look forward to fruitful deliberations.