Government seeks to fast-track digital economy laws, AI policy
ICT Authority Bill, AI framework and data governance reforms form part of push to strengthen digital economy.
NAIROBI – The government is working with Parliament to fast-track legislation aimed at strengthening the country’s digital economy, including the ICT Authority Bill and a new policy framework governing artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy John Tanui said the legislative agenda also includes finalising the National Cloud Policy, the National Data Governance Policy, the National Cybersecurity Policy and regulations for Konza Technopolis.
The draft Kenya Artificial Intelligence and Other Emerging Technologies Policy is open for public comment until Aug. 4 before it is considered by Cabinet and submitted for further legislative processes.
The draft policy proposes safeguards for workers involved in content moderation, data annotation and AI quality assurance, including psychosocial support, duty-of-care obligations and remuneration benchmarks linked to international industry standards.
It also proposes establishing an AI Safety Institute, a public registry of artificial intelligence systems and a national programme to develop AI models incorporating Kenyan and African languages.
Alongside the AI framework, the ICT Authority Bill seeks to strengthen the legal mandate of the ICT Authority to coordinate digital infrastructure, standards and government technology services across national and county governments.
The proposed National Data Governance Policy aims to improve data sharing across public institutions, strengthen cybersecurity and align government data management with the Data Protection Act, while the National Cloud Policy is intended to guide the adoption of shared digital infrastructure across the public sector.
The measures are intended to strengthen oversight of digital infrastructure and emerging technologies while providing the legal framework for the government’s digital economy agenda.
If approved, the reforms would establish the legal foundation for several flagship digital initiatives, including artificial intelligence governance, public-sector cloud adoption and national data management.
