Cancelling Democracy: The Rule Of Flaw MAL 67:2025 | Page 47

Develop Inclusive, Localized Content

AI tools like Angaza Elimu and M-Shule have adapted their platforms to Kenyan curricula and languages to some extent. M-Shule’ s SMS-based model is an example of leveraging local infrastructure and language. Startups and NGOs are developing digital content aligned with the Competency-Based Curriculum( CBC), but much of this content remains urban-focused and generalized. AI platforms must:

• Integrate Local Languages and Contexts: Content should reflect Kenya’ s linguistic diversity and cultural realities to make learning more relatable and inclusive.

• Embed Universal Design Principles: Developers must include features like text-to-speech, voice commands, and simple navigation to serve learners with disabilities.

• Collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Advocacy Groups: This ensures that content is both curriculumcompliant and accessible to diverse learners, including those in marginalized communities.

Localization enhances engagement and relevance, ensuring AI systems work for every child.

Ensure Safeguarding and Data Privacy

Kenya enacted the Data Protection Act in 2019 to regulate the collection and use of personal data. However, few schools or EdTech platforms actively implement stringent data safeguards, especially in rural regions. International tech giants like Google are piloting child safety tools, such as the Family Link, to monitor and control children’ s access to digital content. The Data Protection Act should be actively applied in the education sector to prevent the misuse of student data. Parents, teachers, and students should be educated on safe digital practices through targeted awareness campaigns, ensuring informed consent and responsible technology use. Protecting student data and online safety is fundamental to building trust in AI tools.

Focus on Cost-Effective, Scalable Solutions

Platforms like M-Shule and iMlango use

SMS-based delivery systems, lowering costs and overcoming connectivity challenges. These solutions are practical but limited in reach and functionality. Some Kenyan startups are developing affordable EdTech products tailored for local markets, though many lack sustainable funding for large-scale implementation. The government and donors should fund local developers creating SMS-based or offline-first AI solutions. The use of Open-Source Platforms reduce licensing fees and allow customization to Kenyan contexts. Focusing on scalable, low-cost solutions ensures technology adoption beyond urban centers.

Public-Private Partnerships( PPPs)

Existing PPPs like those with Microsoft, Google, and Safaricom have introduced devices and basic training in select schools. The Kenya Education Network Trust( KENET) has partnered with higher education institutions to improve connectivity. Some private sector players continue to support isolated initiatives, primarily in urban schools. More corporations, NGOs, and tech startups should be engaged to co-create solutions tailored to Kenya’ s rural education challenges. Partners should prioritize localized, cost-effective interventions that account for infrastructural constraints. Successful pilots must be scaled nationally, ensuring resources and solutions reach rural and marginalized schools.

Platforms like M-Shule demonstrate human-centered design by delivering lessons via SMS, a tool familiar to most Kenyans. Few AI solutions in Kenya explicitly adopt human-centered approaches beyond surface-level adaptations. AI systems should leverage existing devices like basic mobile phones to minimize user learning curves. Also, interfaces must be simplified for ease of use, particularly by learners with disabilities or limited digital skills. Teachers, students, and communities should be involved in solution design to ensure tools meet their practical needs. A human-centered approach ensures AI enhances learning by meeting users where they are.

Community Engagement and Awareness

Parental involvement in AI or EdTech adoption remains minimal, particularly in rural areas. Isolated awareness initiatives exist in some urban schools, usually led by NGOs or corporate social responsibility

( CSR) programs. What needs to be done is:

• Involve Communities in AI Initiatives: Local leaders, parents, and civil society should be active partners in AI adoption projects.

• Host Community Forums: Awareness sessions can demystify AI, highlighting benefits and addressing concerns about risks and data safety.

Without community buy-in, AI initiatives risk rejection or underutilization, especially in rural settings.

Kenya stands at a crucial juncture: while AI offers the potential to transform education and address systemic challenges, it also risks entrenching educational inequality if deployed without foresight. The digital infrastructure divide between urban and rural schools, coupled with insufficient teacher preparedness and a lack of inclusive content, threatens to sideline thousands of learners in marginalized areas.

To harness AI’ s promise responsibly, Kenya must create enabling environments that support inclusive, accessible, and equitable adoption of AI technologies. This means building infrastructure, training educators, ensuring data safeguarding, and prioritizing local, human-centered solutions over imported, urban-centric technologies. AI must be a tool of empowerment- not exclusion.

A future where every Kenyan child whether in Nairobi or Turkana benefits from personalized, AI-supported learning is possible. However, it requires a shift from hype to substance, from global narratives to local realities, and from technological fascination to human-centric design.

Christine Nyandat is a seasoned insurance professional. You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on: Nyandatc @ yahoo. com.