Who will lead Kenya's AI revolution and who will fall behind

In Sugoi, a farmer uses an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to determine which crops will yield the best returns in international sales this season.

The app focuses on coffee, the world's morning unifier, enjoyed in more than 120 countries, as Kenya's next big thing.

AI data also shows that coffee can be grown even in previously ruled-out semi-arid regions.

For many farmers in Baringo and the surrounding areas, coffee has been a steady source of economic recovery in the background.

Today, one of those farmers in Talai has more than 21,000 coffee trees in 20 acres, and other formerly barren lands are now models of resilience.

In this transformation, the repercussions are not limited to the soil. Recently, Kenya swapped its Sh650 billion railway loan from dollars to yuan, but our exports to China remain a fraction of our imports, a trade imbalance of about 1:34.

To fix it, Kenya must increase its high-value exports. Coffee, and its AI-built farming as well as demand from the rest of the world, is perhaps our way to fairer trading with China and the rest of the world.

In Kapchepkor, a small shop owner takes a similar decision, based on AI analysis of mobile payment behaviour, to predict which goods sell fast in advance so that he can reorder the inventory.

In Nairobi, restaurants are using AI to take orders, monitor stock, and predict customer trends.  In Uasin Gishu, dairies are using sensors to monitor milk quality and forecast demand.

AI, no longer a buzzword but a silent rewriter of our working, trading, and growth paradigms, is no longer a local or regional phenomenon, but a nationwide phenomenon.

AI is not coming with noise but with results. It helps make decisions faster, smoothens operations and opens up completely new opportunities. Kenya's next economic jump will not be the result of speculation, but intelligence.

This week’s signal: Practical AI gains

Artificial intelligence is transforming how companies operate and how employees work. Kenyan enterprises that have implemented AI into their business processes are experiencing efficiencies that were previously never imagined.

Enterprise systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), supply chains, and inventory management have now become predictive rather than reactive, resulting in up to 70 per cent in cost savings.

Automated financial instruments can also assess cash flow and forecast risk, freeing managers to focus on innovation.

At one restaurant in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, robots have processed hundreds of orders without issue, allowing human workers to offer better service. Dairy producers who automate production and logistics are using AI.

AI systems connected via satellite help farmers determine what crops will be profitable in their geographical location and around the world.

As a country that is open to adopting new technologies, Kenya is becoming one of the most fertile proving grounds for AI in Africa.

What it means for business

AI will become the new norm of business competitiveness. Early adopters will remove inefficiencies, better serve customers, and discover new markets. AI enhances people, not replaces them, turning people into faster, more data-driven decision-makers.

Kenyan businesses that move now will be the leaders, and those that delay will be irrelevant.

Business dynamics are changing fast, and a business's EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) has improved by 50 per cent. AI has turbocharged the 3Ps in most businesses. Business is about People, Process and Product.

What it means for policy

Innovation needs to be balanced by policymakers with inclusion in mind. AI can assist county governments in anticipating budgets, optimising economic infrastructure, and improving citizen services.

Policies need to ensure that the benefits of AI are felt across the country, from city boardrooms to farm fields in Kasisit and factories in Thika.

Investments in digital literacy and infrastructure for bandwidth and data will determine whether Kenya becomes an AI leader or a follower.

AI can also be used to strengthen public systems. Smarter taxation and concentrated medical and educational models are right around the corner. The question is not whether the government should adopt AI, but how fast.

What it means for the people

From farmers in Baringo and shopkeepers in Kapchepkor to restaurant staff in Nairobi and dairy workers in the Rift Valley, AI is opening paths to higher productivity and income. Success will depend on learning, adaptability, and the courage to experiment. Kenyans have the creativity and curiosity to thrive in this new age if they act early.

Afterthought

AI in Kenya is transforming the way we work, trade, study and live. The delayers will be left behind; the better adapted will survive. The pace is accelerating, and the future will favour the prepared.

Decisions are made on the radar screen, but the future is yours.

 The writer is a human-centred strategist and leadership columnist.