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Kenya’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector stakeholders are calling for solutions that go beyond donor-funded pilot projects to spur financial sustainability and be fully integrated into public systems.

This emerged during a high-level AI in Agriculture and Health forum which brought together representatives from the government, technology innovators, investors, healthcare practitioners and development partners to explore how AI can drive growth in two of Kenya’s most critical sectors.

The discussions come as Kenya rolls out its National AI Strategy 2025–2030, which aims to position the country as a regional leader in AI, while ensuring innovation delivers tangible economic and social benefits.

Agriculture contributes about one-third of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with smallholder farmers producing nearly 80 per cent of the country’s agricultural output. Yet, many continue to lack access to timely weather information, advisory services and market intelligence, areas where AI is increasingly providing practical solutions.

In healthcare, AI is also transforming service delivery, particularly in maternal health, where early intervention can prevent thousands of avoidable deaths.

Speaking during the forum, Samawati Collective Executive Director Maurice Otieno said Kenya has an opportunity to shape AI technologies around local needs rather than simply adopting imported solutions.

“AI is already making decisions in Kenya’s clinics and farms. The only question is whether the people those decisions affect have a seat at the table,” he said, adding that communities should play a central role in developing public-interest AI.

The event also marked the launch of a partnership between Samawati Collective and SemaBOX aimed at building a national movement around AI in agriculture and healthcare by bringing together innovators, policymakers and local communities.

One of the strongest examples of AI delivering measurable impact came from Jacaranda Health’s PROMPTS maternal health platform.

According to Javan Waita, Director of Kenya Programs at Jacaranda Health, the AI-enabled platform now serves about four million mothers across Kenya, enrolling nearly 800,000 more each year.

He said AI now reviews approximately 15,000 health questions submitted daily, identifying the roughly 7 per cent that indicate medical emergencies and escalating them to clinical nurses.

“When we started, our nurses could answer about 100 questions a day. Today AI enables us to respond at national scale while improving health-seeking behaviour by 27 per cent,’ Waita said.

He added that the programme operates at a lifetime cost of approximately $2.50  (Sh325) per mother, demonstrating how AI can improve healthcare outcomes while keeping costs low.

However, the stakeholders warned that long-term success will depend on government investment rather than continued reliance on donor funding.

Villgro Africa head of acceleration Immanuel Momanyi said innovation cannot scale unless governments begin treating it as part of their development budgets.

“Government is the biggest client you will ever have. The startups that survive are those that become part of existing public systems,” he said.

Among others, Jacaranda Health has already begun transitioning to that model, with Kisumu and Tharaka Nithi counties fully funding enrolment into the PROMPTS programme. In Mombasa County, it covers 80 per cent of enrolment costs. The platform has also been integrated into government electronic medical record systems to lower operational costs.

In agriculture, AI’s greatest value lies not only in forecasting weather but also in helping governments make faster and better decisions.

Tina Mkara, Industry Manager for Natural Resources at Esri Eastern Africa, said combining satellite imagery, geospatial technology and AI can improve food security by directing drought-resistant seeds, insurance and other support to areas where they are needed most.

She also pointed to AI’s potential to reduce fraud in public spending.

“If government invested Sh100 million in AI to audit health insurance claims, it could save about KSh900 million through reduced fraudulent claims,” she said.

Despite the growing opportunities, panellists warned that high internet costs, limited smartphone access and low digital literacy could prevent many Kenyans from benefiting from AI unless inclusion is prioritised.

They also urged developers to build AI systems using local knowledge and African datasets to ensure the technology reflects the realities of Kenyan communities. [Noel Nabiswa]