Kenya’s ambition to become a regional leader in artificial intelligence is gaining momentum, but a critical execution gap is slowing the transition from innovation to real-world impact.
Speaking at Safaricom Decode 4.0, Generative AI Squad Lead Kimani Kibuthu said many AI solutions are failing to move beyond pilot stages, a challenge he described as “pilot purgatory.”
Kibuthu noted that even organisations actively deploying AI are grappling with the same issue, underscoring the need for stronger execution frameworks to scale innovations.
“What we’ve realised in shipping all these AI products is that many of them don’t actually get to production. AI definitely is impactful, but most of it doesn’t get to production, and therefore, we cannot feel that impact,” he said.
Despite the bottlenecks, Safaricom remains optimistic about Kenya’s trajectory, pointing to a surge in grassroots innovation and a growing community of young developers experimenting with AI tools.
“We have learned lessons ourselves, and we wanted to share those lessons with people out there so they can take more AI solutions to production and be able to drive more impact out here in the world,” he said.
“You sit down with several people here, and you’ll hear the ideas that they have, what they’re actually building. This is a young generation that’s pushing technology. We are on the right path. We just need to have the proper guidance, the right guidance, and the belief that we can do this.”
The conversations at Safaricom Decode 4.0 reflect a broader shift in Kenya’s technology ecosystem, where collaboration and knowledge-sharing are becoming central to growth.
Kibuthu emphasised that community-driven platforms are playing a critical role in shaping the country’s digital future.
“Community drives this ecosystem, and community builds this tech culture. When you interact with experts and partners, I get out of here better; someone else gets out of here better.”
The summit also showcased how rapidly evolving AI tools are transforming creativity and productivity across sectors.
From generative design to coding assistance, developers are increasingly leveraging AI to augment their capabilities.
“What excites me about the future of technology is how AI is shifting into better models, cheaper models, and also the capability that it has. On the other side, creativity among people is not becoming low; it’s actually becoming high,” Kibuthu said.
For attendees like Victor Jahawi, the event provided insight into how AI is reshaping career paths, with emerging interest in fields such as cybersecurity.
“With AI, it’s just changing how the world works. I feel like it’s best to learn how AI works so that I’m not left behind,” he said.
Beyond innovation, the summit also highlighted the importance of monetisation and intellectual property in sustaining the tech and creative economy. In a masterclass, Wesley Kanyeria guided participants on contracts, licensing, and ownership.
“Understanding how to protect and profit from creativity is just as important as creating it,” he said.
As Kenya accelerates its AI adoption, stakeholders agree that closing the execution gap by moving solutions from pilots to production will be key to unlocking the full economic and social value of the technology.
Safaricom Group Chief Finance and Innovations Officer Dilip Pal highlighted the potential of AI to manage complex workflows independently.
“The biggest opportunity we see is in getting control of workflows that take multiple steps and automating them through agentic AI,” Pal said.
Agentic AI refers to systems capable of acting autonomously to complete tasks, make decisions, and execute processes with minimal human intervention, all while operating within defined governance frameworks.
Pal explained that the focus is not purely on generating revenue, but on reducing friction, improving efficiency, and enhancing customer satisfaction.
“If you remove friction and make it easy, customers stay loyal, and that ultimately drives growth,” he said.
Already, Safaricom has implemented agentic AI in multiple customer journeys, allowing users to access services directly through digital platforms without visiting shops or calling contact centers.
"When it comes to agentic AI, the biggest opportunity lies in automating workflows rather than focusing purely on revenue. By reducing friction and simplifying processes, we improve customer experience, which ultimately drives loyalty and growth. We have automated dozens of customer journeys, where customers don’t need to visit a shop or call a contact centre. They can do it by themselves,” Pal added.
"In customer engagement, we are using hyper-personalisation to better understand customer needs and deliver relevant solutions. We are also leveraging AI to optimise energy consumption, which is a major cost driver in our operations."
We are now moving from isolated use cases to fully productionized AI systems.
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