Kenya and US artificial intelligence firm Anthropic have signed an agreement to strengthen collaboration on the responsible use of AI at the national level. The partnership will cover skills development, research, AI safety and evaluation, education, health and public-sector applications. This move aims to support local AI capacity, with the technology to be developed and applied in line with Kenyan laws, institutions, languages and national priorities.
Anthropic PBC is an artificial intelligence company founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers. It develops Claude, a family of large language models used by consumers, businesses, developers, and government agencies. Anthropic emphasizes AI safety and uses an approach called Constitutional AI to train its models to follow defined ethical and safety guidelines.
The Kenya-Anthropic partnership will focus on developing and applying AI technology in various sectors, including education, health, and public-sector applications. This collaboration aims to ensure that frontier AI is shaped around Kenyan institutions, languages, development priorities, and the public interest. It also seeks to strengthen Kenya's capacity to participate in the evaluation and governance of these technologies.
Kenya's Special Envoy on Technology, Ambassador Thigo, highlighted the importance of this partnership. He stated that it is about ensuring that frontier AI is shaped around Kenyan institutions, languages, development priorities, and the public interest, while strengthening Kenya's capacity to participate in the evaluation and governance of these technologies.
President William Ruto, while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), joined leaders and government representatives from 20 countries in calling for stronger international oversight of advanced artificial intelligence systems. The leaders issued a statement on Monday, September 21, 2026, citing the rapid pace of AI development and recent cases in which AI systems have bypassed safety protocols.
The statement emphasized that AI must remain under human direction, oversight, and control, and must be developed and used in line with international law. Ruto was among the signatories alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei and Elizabeth Kelly of Anthropic's Beneficial Deployments team were present during the agreement. This partnership marks a significant step in Kenya's efforts to develop and regulate AI technology, ensuring that it aligns with the country's priorities and international standards.
Key points
- Kenya partners with Anthropic to develop responsible AI technology
- The partnership focuses on skills development, research, AI safety, and public-sector applications
- The agreement aims to strengthen Kenya's capacity to participate in AI evaluation and governance
