Kenya turns to AI to close Sh6 billion disability gap

ICT CS William Kabogo during the official opening of the 6th Inclusive Africa Conference, held in Nairobi. [Bernard Orwongo, Standard]

Kenya has launched an artificial intelligence-driven programme aimed at tackling the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the digital economy, a gap that costs the country an estimated Sh6 billion annually in lost productivity.

The AI for Disability Project, unveiled on April 30, 2026, during the closing of the Connected Africa Summit in Nairobi, brings together government and private sector players to co-design assistive technologies that improve access to jobs, education and digital services.

The initiative marks a significant milestone in Africa’s digital transformation journey, positioning inclusion not as a policy aspiration but as a design principle embedded within technology, infrastructure and innovation ecosystems.

It also reflects a deliberate multi-stakeholder collaboration model, with the Government of Kenya working alongside technical and innovation partners to address real-world barriers faced by persons with disabilities.

Cabinet Secretary for ICT William Kabogo said the project is central to Kenya’s broader economic transformation agenda and urged a shift in how inclusion is approached.

“As Africa advances its digital agenda, we must remain deliberate in our approach. Africa must be at the table, not on the menu, in shaping solutions powered by emerging technologies,” he said.

“This initiative is part of our commitment to ensuring that every Kenyan has an opportunity to participate in the digital economy, whether through innovation, employment, or entrepreneurship. We are moving from commitments to delivery,” he added.

The urgency of the intervention is underpinned by stark data. According to the 2019 census, about 2.2 per cent of Kenyans, roughly one million people, live with disabilities, though global estimates by the World Health Organisation suggest the figure could be significantly higher.

Nearly 45.7 per cent of persons with disabilities in Kenya live below the poverty line, well above the national average.

Employment remains a major barrier, with only 41 per cent of the PWD labour force integrated into the workforce as of 2023.

Mobility impairment accounts for between 28.6 and 42 per cent of disabilities, while limited access to healthcare, assistive technologies and inclusive infrastructure continues to widen inequality.

Across Africa, between 60 and 80 million people live with disabilities, yet less than 3 per cent of those who need assistive technologies can access them. More than 80 per cent of persons with disabilities in developing countries live in extreme poverty.

ICT Principal Secretary Mary Kerema said the project represents a structural rethink in how government designs digital systems.

“The AI for Disability Project marks a decisive shift from inclusion as an aspiration to inclusion by design. It brings together a powerful coalition of disability experts, innovation leaders, and global technology partners to address real, lived challenges faced by persons with disabilities,” she said.

“As government, we are deliberately re-engineering our systems to be inclusive, embedding accessibility into our digital infrastructure, platforms, and services from the outset, rather than retrofitting it later,” the PS added.

The programme is anchored in Kenya’s national AI strategy and will leverage infrastructure such as the Konza Technopolis Data Centre and a network of digital hubs to expand access, training and innovation.

Stakeholders say the project reframes disability inclusion as an economic imperative rather than a social obligation.

InABLE Executive Director Irene Mbari-Kirika said systemic design failures, not lack of ability, have historically excluded persons with disabilities.

“For too long, persons with disabilities have been excluded from the digital economy not because of a lack of ability, but because systems were not designed with them in mind. This initiative changes that reality by bringing co-creation, innovation, and accessibility together at scale,” she said.

Beyond lost GDP, exclusion has broader social consequences. Studies show that up to 35 per cent of persons with disabilities in urban Kenya have used drugs, often linked to social isolation and unemployment.

Women and girls with disabilities are also at higher risk of gender-based violence, with global data showing they are twice as likely to experience abuse.

The launch aligns with commitments made under the Connected Africa Summit 2026 Ministerial Communiqué, which calls for accelerated implementation of inclusive digital policies across the continent.

Key priorities include expanding digital skills and AI capacity, strengthening accessible infrastructure, building trusted digital ecosystems, and scaling public-private partnerships to support innovation.

The communiqué also underscores Africa’s ambition to build a single inclusive digital market where all citizens, including persons with disabilities, can participate meaningfully.

With the project already in motion, Kenya is positioning itself as a regional hub for accessible technology development and testing whether inclusive design can translate into measurable economic gains.