It has been said that ‘data is the new oil’ and that ‘AI is the future’. For us at Akira Consult Limited we have been deep in our digital era 🙂 and to say that we are excited about the information age would be an understatement. The dust is settling on data privacy in Kenya with the operationalisation of the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 “DPA” – not too far behind the European GDPR whose operationalisation came in 2016.

We celebrate that Boards and Management have now institutionalised the DPA through registration (for those who identify as controllers or processors), data privacy frameworks, data protection policies, data mapping and record keeping, including monitoring and evaluation techniques like data privacy impact assessments and audits.

With the entry of AI, the focus should be moving from data privacy to data quality. The successful use of AI to deliver insights, enable decision making and increase innovation requires an adjusted governance mindset for the Board. This involves understanding what kind of data an organisation has, labelling it, safeguarding it and then adopting AI within an institutionalised framework. This ensures a good foundation for building trustworthy, high-performing AI systems that generate a sustainable competitive advantage for the organisation.

Globally, leading organisations are investing in oversight structures from the Board level that balances innovation with accountability — ensuring AI algorithms are transparent, that decisions are explainable, and outcomes fair. This is not just best practice; it is becoming a competitive differentiator in markets where trust and responsible innovation are highly valued.

In Kenya and across Africa, the opportunity is particularly significant. Organizations are increasingly leveraging AI for financial inclusion, in the healthcare sector, to perform digital trade, to mordenise agriculture, and improve public services. Boards must therefore adopt an integrated and collaborative approach involving teams beyond the IT department; e.g legal, risk, compliance, internal audit, finance and other business/operational units, as each unit’s needs and perspectives are different.

The Board should also adopt AI as a strategic discussion and ask the tough questions: Where does our data come from? Is it secure? Is it biased? Do we have a clear audit trail for our AI models’ decisions? Where is the human intervention? When an organisation adopts data privacy and ethics by design confirming that its data is secure and its lineage is clear; the organisation can confidently deploy AI for high-stakes tasks like fraud detection, personalized customer experiences, and predictive analytics. This reduces legal and reputational risk fostering stakeholder trust.

Akira Consult Limited wants to walk with you on your AI Governance journey. Speak to us today for a needs assessment or training to do the right things the right way!