Kenya has called for stronger international cooperation to protect critical digital systems from disruption as the country accelerates its transition to an increasingly technology-driven economy.
Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy William Kabogo said governments could no longer treat digital resilience as a purely technical matter, arguing that the ability to keep essential services running during a crisis must become a core responsibility of governments and their technology partners.
Speaking in New York during a series of high level engagements on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Kabogo said Kenya was pushing for clearer agreements on who should be responsible for restoring critical digital infrastructure when systems fail.
He said governments and technology providers should agree on recovery responsibilities before a crisis occurs and incorporate those obligations into contracts.
He also proposed regular joint exercises involving governments and technology companies to test whether agreed recovery arrangements would work in an actual emergency.
“As more of our services move online, keeping them running when systems fail becomes a core responsibility of Government,” Mr Kabogo said.
The proposals came as Kenya showcased its digital transformation and sought partnerships to expand its computing, data centre and artificial intelligence capacity.
Mr Kabogo participated in a closed door ministerial dialogue convened by the Digital Cooperation Organization and Oracle on digital resilience, where he represented Kenya in discussions on protecting essential digital services during crises.
The CS said Kenya’s digital transformation had to be accompanied by the capacity to sustain services when infrastructure was disrupted.
He said the country was increasingly dependent on digital platforms to deliver public services, making resilience and continuity a critical component of national infrastructure.
Kenya has more than 22,500 government services available through the eCitizen platform, with millions of citizens accessing public services online every month.
The Social Health Authority (SHA), another major component of the country’s digital public infrastructure, has 30.6 million registered Kenyans, according to figures cited by Mr Kabogo.
The authority has also paid Sh65.42 billion to 4,718 health facilities across the 47 counties, with claims processed digitally.
Mr Kabogo said a failure of such systems could have immediate consequences for citizens, from patients seeking healthcare to farmers trying to access agricultural services.
He said Kenya therefore planned to approach continuity of service on a system by system basis, with backup arrangements and defined restoration timelines.
At the international level, Kenya is seeking mechanisms that would allow countries to support one another during major digital disruptions.
Mr Kabogo proposed that the Digital Cooperation Organization develop a legal framework allowing one country to hold another country’s critical systems in reserve during a crisis and return them once normal operations resume.
He also urged investors, development finance institutions and technology companies to increase investment in data centres and cloud infrastructure in Kenya.
“The power, the connectivity and the demand are already here,” he said.
The digital resilience discussions formed part of a wider Kenyan push at the UN General Assembly for greater cooperation among developing countries on artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and digital skills.
President William Ruto and Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Tuesday co chaired a leaders’ roundtable on “AI Middle Powers: Shared Sovereignty in the AI Era”.
The meeting, which was also attended by Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, continued discussions that began during President Ruto’s State Visit to Finland in June.
The discussions focused on how middle and lower income countries can participate meaningfully in the emerging AI economy despite gaps in computing infrastructure, advanced models, energy and specialised skills.
Kenya identified computing power at scale and the capacity to develop advanced AI models as among the areas where it still faces significant gaps.
However, the country also highlighted its existing digital assets, including renewable energy potential, eight submarine cable landings, the Konza National Data Centre, a young technical workforce and African language data.
Mr Kabogo said developing countries should cooperate in areas where they did not necessarily compete, including negotiations with suppliers of AI models and computing capacity.
Kenya also proposed joint testing and assurance of AI systems and greater development of data in African languages under the ownership of local institutions.
The approach, according to the Kenyan delegation, would allow developing countries to strengthen their bargaining position while developing AI systems that are more responsive to local needs.
Mr Kabogo also joined African ministers at an African Union Commission Google high level ministerial roundtable on accelerating Africa’s AI and data infrastructure.
Drawing on Kenya’s experience with eCitizen and its Government Interoperability Framework, he proposed that willing African Union member states jointly test a cross border public service and report the results by February 2027.
The proposal is aimed at demonstrating how countries can use interoperable digital systems to deliver services across borders while maintaining appropriate safeguards for personal data.
Kenya has said it supports risk based regulation of artificial intelligence and trusted cross border data flows subject to clear safeguards.
The Government is also seeking to position digital skills, connectivity and investment as key drivers of employment for the continent’s youthful population.
Mr Kabogo also represented President Ruto at the high level convening of the Global Reset Dialogues, popularly known as the Accra Reset, on the sidelines of UNGA81.
He initially held brief for President Ruto alongside Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who convenes the Accra Reset, and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley before the Kenyan President joined the meeting.
The Accra Reset brings together leaders from Africa, the Caribbean and the wider Global South to discuss reforms to development financing and the delivery of development programmes.
Kenya’s contribution to the discussions has focused on the digital economy, skills, connectivity and investment as foundations for creating jobs for young people.
A key initiative highlighted by Kenya is the Digital Skills Mobility corridor, which the country has been invited to champion.
The initiative seeks to strengthen pathways through which digitally skilled young people can access opportunities in regional and international labour markets.
Mr Kabogo thanked President Mahama and Prime Minister Mottley for their welcome and continued partnership with Kenya.
The engagements have placed Kenya’s digital transformation at the centre of its diplomatic and economic agenda at the UN General Assembly, with the Government seeking partnerships in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data infrastructure, digital skills and resilience.
For Kenya, officials say the next phase of digital transformation will require not only expanding online services but ensuring that the infrastructure supporting them remains secure, interoperable and available during disruptions.
The Government is therefore seeking to combine domestic investment in digital infrastructure with international partnerships, common standards and arrangements that can keep essential services running when crises occur.
