NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 17 – Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie has called for stronger parliamentary oversight of Artificial Intelligence (AI), warning that Kenya’s push to adopt emerging technologies must be matched by safeguards to protect citizens’ rights and ensure accountability.

Kiarie, who chairs the National Assembly’s Communications, Information and Innovation Committee, said Parliament must ensure that the development and deployment of AI does not outpace the laws and institutions responsible for protecting Kenyans.

He spoke during a webinar on “Synchronizing AI Innovations: Legislative Interventions Towards Harnessing AI in Africa”, convened by the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST) and moderated by Parliamentary Joint Services Director-General Clement Nyandiere.

The forum brought together representatives from Parliament, government and the technology sector to examine how Kenya can benefit from AI while addressing risks associated with its growing use.

“Parliament must carefully examine how AI is being developed, procured and deployed, particularly where automated systems can influence decisions affecting people’s livelihoods and access to essential services,” Kiarie said.

He said AI was likely to disrupt several sectors, including employment, education, healthcare, financial services, social protection, security and justice.

The discussions also focused on whether existing laws are adequate to address emerging challenges posed by AI or whether new legislation and safeguards are required.

Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) CEO Grace Githaiga said technological advancement should not come at the expense of human rights.

She said Kenya could promote innovation while establishing a governance framework that gives citizens, businesses and public institutions confidence that AI systems are being developed and used responsibly.

Githaiga said AI had fundamentally altered the traditional debate around privacy and data protection.

“The concern is no longer simply about what personal information is collected and stored. AI systems can analyze large amounts of information, draw conclusions about individuals, create profiles and make or influence decisions based on data whose original purpose may have been very different,” she said.

She said this raised questions about the data used to train AI models, the information that systems can infer about individuals and the consequences of automated decision-making.

Participants also raised concerns that AI systems could reproduce existing inequalities if they are trained using historical data containing patterns of discrimination, exclusion or under-representation.

Such biases could affect decisions in areas such as recruitment, lending, education, healthcare, insurance and access to public services.

The ICT Authority has also called for stronger safeguards as government agencies increasingly turn to AI to improve service delivery.

ICT Authority chief executive Jessy K Maruti said public institutions could not evade responsibility for decisions simply because they involved algorithms or technology supplied by private companies.

“Government accountability cannot be delegated to a vendor or an algorithm,” Maruti said.

He identified infrastructure, standards, institutions and accountability as key pillars of responsible AI adoption in government.

Maruti said Kenya’s digital transformation would require more than expanding internet access, pointing to the need for reliable electricity, fibre networks, cloud infrastructure, secure computing capacity, trusted data systems, cybersecurity and digital skills.

Although about 96 per cent of Kenyans are estimated to live within mobile broadband coverage, participants noted that a significant usage gap remains, highlighting the difference between network availability and meaningful digital inclusion.

Maruti also stressed the need for human oversight where AI systems are used to make or assist decisions affecting people’s rights, benefits, safety or access to government services.

He called for mechanisms allowing citizens to challenge decisions, seek human review and obtain remedies where AI systems make errors.

Cybersecurity, he added, should be considered throughout the lifecycle of an AI system, from data collection and development to deployment, monitoring and eventual retirement.

The ICT Authority proposed a risk-based approach to AI regulation, under which low-risk applications would face basic safeguards while systems capable of significantly affecting people’s rights or safety would be subjected to stricter requirements.

High-risk systems could require impact assessments, independent reviews, external validation, registration, regular audits and clear appeal mechanisms, according to the discussions.

Participants further noted that certain applications of AI, particularly those involving unlawful discrimination or manipulation, could require outright prohibition.

For Parliament, the expanding use of AI presents responsibilities spanning legislation, oversight, representation, resourcing and review.

Kiarie’s committee is expected to play a central role in examining the emerging policy and regulatory framework, including how government agencies procure AI technologies and whether such investments provide value for taxpayers while protecting citizens’ rights.

The committee will also have to consider how communities affected by AI can participate in shaping regulations and whether regulators and oversight bodies have sufficient technical and financial capacity to monitor the technology.

The proposed government roadmap includes taking stock of existing AI systems and pilot projects, introducing interim rules for AI use and procurement, identifying accountable officers and developing risk classifications and impact assessments.

High-risk systems could subsequently be subjected to certification, interoperability testing and publication of performance and audit findings.

The discussions underscored the tension Kenya faces as it seeks to position itself as a regional technology hub while responding to concerns over privacy, discrimination, employment, cybersecurity and accountability.

Kiarie said the central question for Kenya was not simply how quickly it could adopt AI, but how responsibly the technology could be deployed while safeguarding human dignity, equality, privacy, freedom of expression, access to information and accountability.