The National Assembly has ordered an inquiry into the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Kenya's schools and hospitals, giving a House committee one month to table its findings as lawmakers push for a dedicated law to govern the technology.

The task has been handed to the Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation, chaired by Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie, the Daily Nation reported on Sunday. Officials from the ministries of Education and Health are expected to be among the first to appear before the committee.

What the committee will examine

According to the Nation, the committee will assess how far AI tools have spread in learning institutions and in the health sector, and how the adoption of AI across key sectors of the economy has contributed to development and public service delivery.

It will also review existing laws, policies, regulations and safeguards on the development and use of AI. The areas of focus include data protection and privacy, cybersecurity, accountability and the harmful use of the technology, as well as concerns over academic integrity as students increasingly rely on AI to complete coursework.

Lawmakers argued that Kenya lacks a clear national framework for AI and that a standalone law is needed to guide its use.

Leaders weigh in

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah warned that students' use of AI for academic work poses a real danger and asked that the education and health ministries be given priority when the committee begins hearing from stakeholders. He also told the House that the Ministry of Health should be engaged because some Kenyans are now using AI tools to treat themselves, the Nation reported.

Ugenya MP David Ochieng, who was presiding over the sitting in place of the Speaker, cautioned against rushing the process. He said lawmakers and other stakeholders should be fully involved in shaping any proposed legislation so that the resulting law is sound and not easily challenged in court.

Suba South MP Millie Odhiambo said the country cannot afford to ignore AI and argued that the focus should be on ensuring it is used ethically. Molo MP Kimani Kuria urged colleagues not to treat AI as a menace, saying the committee should find ways to integrate it while protecting values such as hard work.

Kiarie assured the House that his committee would do "a thorough job," according to the Nation.

Kenya's AI readiness

The inquiry comes as AI tools, from chatbots used for homework to diagnostic and triage software, become more common in Kenyan classrooms, universities and clinics, often without specific rules on how student or patient data should be handled.

The Nation cited the 2022 Government AI Readiness Index, which ranked Kenya fifth in Africa and 90th in the world. The Oxford Insights survey for the same year put the country's AI readiness score at 40.3 per cent.

Kenya currently relies on general laws such as the Data Protection Act and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act to address some AI-related risks, but none of them was designed specifically for the technology. Kiarie's committee has in the past called for stronger parliamentary oversight of how public agencies acquire and deploy AI systems.

The committee's report, once tabled, is expected to shape the content of any AI bill introduced in the House and could set out the first formal guidelines for the use of AI in Kenya's education and health systems.

Photos: Daily Nation (file, classroom); Jorge Láscar via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0, Parliament Buildings, Nairobi).