NAIROBI, Kenya, July 6 – Artificial intelligence experts, policymakers, health practitioners and civil society organisations have called for greater adoption of community-driven AI solutions in Kenya’s agriculture and healthcare sectors, warning that the technology must address local challenges rather than become another short-lived pilot project.
The call was made during a high-level forum on AI in Agriculture and Health held in Nairobi, where Samawati Collective and SemaBOX launched a partnership aimed at promoting public-interest AI aligned with Kenya’s National AI Strategy 2025–2030.
Participants said AI has the potential to improve healthcare delivery, strengthen food security and support climate resilience, but stressed that its deployment must be guided by the needs of communities.
Agriculture contributes about a third of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product, with smallholder farmers accounting for roughly 80 percent of the country’s agricultural production.
In the health sector, speakers noted that many maternal and neonatal deaths remain preventable through timely access to information and healthcare services.
Jacaranda Health’s Director of Kenya Programmes, Javan Waita, said the organisation’s AI-enabled PROMPTS maternal health platform now supports about four million mothers, with approximately 800,000 new users joining each year.
According to Waita, artificial intelligence helps screen thousands of daily messages from expectant and new mothers, identifying high-risk cases that require urgent attention from clinical staff, contributing to increased health-seeking behaviour.
The discussion also focused on the sustainability of AI innovations beyond donor funding.Villgro Africa’s Head of Acceleration, Immanuel Momanyi, urged county governments to allocate resources for innovation, arguing that integrating new technologies into public systems is essential for long-term adoption.
On agriculture, Esri Eastern Africa’s Industry Manager for Natural Resources, Tina Mkara, said AI should go beyond weather forecasting to support farmers through better access to insurance, climate-resilient seeds and data-driven government interventions.
She added that artificial intelligence could also help curb fraud in public systems, including the auditing of health insurance claims.
Participants also cautioned that the benefits of AI could remain out of reach for many Kenyans unless barriers such as the high cost of internet access, limited smartphone ownership and low digital literacy are addressed.
They further called for the development of AI systems trained on local knowledge and African datasets to ensure the technology reflects local realities and delivers practical solutions for communities.
