NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 30 – Nearly three-quarters of Kenyan organisations lack mature technology workforce capabilities despite prioritizing digital transformation, exposing businesses to slower growth, operational inefficiencies and declining competitiveness.

A new report by Moringa, based on interviews with 166 senior executives across eight sectors, shows that 73 percent of organisations surveyed remain at early or developing stages of technology workforce maturity, although 72 percent consider digital transformation a top strategic priority.

Nine out of ten executives expect stagnating workforce capabilities to result in slower growth, declining competitiveness or operational inefficiencies, with more than a third describing the risk as major or existential.

The Kenya Technology Workforce Capability Report 2026 further shows that responsibility for technology skills investment is shifting towards senior management, with chief executive officers serving as primary decision-makers in 45 percent of organisations surveyed.

Human resources departments were the principal influence in only 11 percent of cases, highlighting the growing importance of technology skills in corporate strategy.

Artificial intelligence engineering emerged as the most difficult capability to develop, cited by 48 percent of respondents, rising to 62 percent among organisations with more than 2,000 employees.

However, increased training expenditure has not necessarily translated into improved workforce readiness.

Although 77 percent of organisations use online learning platforms to upgrade employee skills, only 16 percent consider their current upskilling programmes very effective.

Executives identified scheduling conflicts, theoretical training content, limited practical application and poor alignment with business requirements as barriers to effective skills development.

Moringa Chief Executive Nikki Germany said technology workforce capability should be treated as a business performance issue rather than an isolated human resources responsibility.

“The implication is not that HR has no role. It is that technology workforce capability cannot be delegated to HR and revisited during the annual training budget cycle,” said Germany.

“Those responsible for business strategy must also ensure that the organization can execute it.”

A separate Moringa Graduate Outcomes Impact Study, tracking 350 alumni, highlights the employment outcomes of technology training, with nearly eight in ten graduates applying their acquired skills immediately or within six months.

Among graduates who secured opportunities, seven in ten did so before graduating or within six months, with internships emerging as the most common entry point.

The study found that 71.4 percent of employers rated Moringa graduates above average compared with other entry-level recruits, while all employers surveyed indicated they would hire the institution’s graduates again.

The proportion of alumni earning at least Sh100,000 monthly increased from 4.3 percent before training to 24.6 percent at the time of the study.

However, 63.4 percent of employers identified communication skills as an area requiring improvement, while 56.3 percent of graduates cited inadequate professional networks as a barrier to career progression.

The findings point to the need for businesses to link technology training with practical workplace assignments, internships and measurable improvements in employee performance.