Kenya signs an AI partnership with Anthropic

Kenya has signed an artificial intelligence partnership with Anthropic, the US company that makes the Claude AI models. The Joint Declaration was signed in New York on 22 September 2026, during the UN General Assembly.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei signed for Kenya. Elizabeth Kelly, Anthropic's head of beneficial deployments, signed for the company.

What it covers

• Skills and research: training Kenyans in AI and building local technical expertise.
• Public services: exploring AI tools for government, schools and hospitals.
• Safety: cooperation on AI safety and evaluation.
• Languages: making sure AI reflects Kenya's languages and social context.

The next step is to turn the framework into specific pilots, research projects and training programmes with Kenyan institutions. The Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs will coordinate the work.

Data and limits

According to Citizen Digital, any future programme that involves Kenyan data will be governed by Kenyan law, including rules on data protection, cybersecurity and the public sector. The agreement is non-binding, Ecofin Agency reported, and no funding figure has been announced.

Talks began in June, when Kenya's special envoy for technology, Philip Thigo, contacted the company. He later met Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei in Silicon Valley. Thigo said the partnership would help Kenya "build local AI expertise."

The misuse report

The deal came less than two weeks after Anthropic published a threat report covering misuse of its models. Among its findings, it said "a pro-government operator in Kenya prepared fake grassroots social media posts ahead of Kenya's 2027 general election." Tech outlets reported that the account was removed. According to their reports, Anthropic found no evidence of government involvement.

Why it matters

Kenya is carrying out its National AI Strategy 2025–2030 and wants to be a regional AI hub. Partnerships like this could bring tools and training, but critics have asked how much control Kenya will keep over its public data. The agreement's promises will be tested when the first pilots are announced. Read about Nigeria's own AI ambitions.

Disclosure: this story was drafted with the help of Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic. It is based only on the published reports listed below.