Two neighbouring East African nations are taking markedly different approaches to artificial intelligence governance. Kenya is moving quickly to position itself as a continental AI hub, with a comprehensive national strategy and an emerging regulatory framework. Uganda is proceeding more cautiously, prioritising foundational data infrastructure before committing to AI-specific policy.
Both approaches have logic. And both carry risks. As TIM has been closely involved in policy development in both countries, we are well-placed to offer a comparative perspective.
Kenya: ambitious and accelerating
Kenya's National AI Strategy, finalised in 2024, is one of the most comprehensive AI governance documents produced by any African government. It covers the full spectrum from education and skills to infrastructure, sector applications, ethics, and international positioning. It is explicitly aspirational — Kenya wants to be Africa's AI innovation hub.
The risks of this ambition are real. Regulatory frameworks take time to develop and embed; moving fast risks creating gaps that bad actors can exploit. The talent base, while impressive by regional standards, remains thin relative to the strategy's ambitions. And without significant investment in data infrastructure, AI applications will be constrained by data scarcity.
"Speed without foundations is fragility. The question for Kenya is whether it is building fast enough on both dimensions simultaneously."
— TIM Research Team
Uganda: deliberate and foundational
Uganda's approach has been more cautious — focusing first on data governance and digital infrastructure before committing to an AI-specific strategy. The National Data Strategy delivered by TIM in 2024 establishes the data foundations that effective AI requires: standards, institutional mandates, and basic data infrastructure.
The risk here is the opposite: the AI landscape is evolving so rapidly that deliberate, sequential policy development may leave Uganda perpetually catching up. There is a real danger of developing excellent foundational frameworks just as the technology has moved on to challenges those frameworks were not designed to address.
Lessons for the continent
- Sequence matters, but so does pace — foundations and ambition must advance together
- Regional cooperation can amplify national efforts; East Africa needs common AI standards
- Civil society and academia must be genuine partners, not consultees
- International frameworks (EU AI Act, OECD Principles) provide reference points but must be adapted to African contexts
- Enforcement capacity is as important as the quality of regulation on paper