This week Patricia Wanjama was honored to train the Board of a leading Kenyan Bank on AI Governance. The training was themed ‘AI Governance Frameworks for Resilient and Ethical Banking’. This was a training highlight and we thought to share our take outs.

Read on for summary findings from the survey 🙂
✅ 66% of banks have adopted AI – mainly in fraud detection, credit risk assessment, compliance, and customer service.
⚠️ Yet, only 29% have AI strategies and just 36% have AI policies in place.
💡 84% report improved performance from using AI, but fewer than 60% have explainable models which ideally would safeguard against bias.
📉 Over half are still in “explorer” stage of AI maturity. 3% are at the Transformational stage, looking to re-emerge with new business models powered by AI, which is exciting!

So, what does this mean for Boards?
👉 AI governance must move from a ‘next year’ item on the Board Almanac to a right now training module. It is essential for the Board to guide management on their AI expectations.
👉 Oversight committees (Risk, Audit, Compliance, ICT, Credit) must treat AI with the same seriousness as financial or credit risk.
👉 Boards and Management must anchor AI adoption in fairness, transparency, accountability, and compliance — even before the detailed AI Banking regulations land.

Here is what we advise; Kenyan banks must urgently:
▶️ Build AI governance strategies aligned with the Bank’s purpose and values in mind. Part of this is to understand that AI adoption shall take a strategic investment in people and technology platforms.
▶️ Establish ethical AI and data policies. The first place to start is for the Bank to confirm their full compliance to the Data Protection Act 2019.
▶️ Develop roadmaps for AI maturity, with regular Board-level reviews on progress.

How can Akira Consult Limited help?
💬 We are collaborating with Boards and Management through tailormade trainings and building frameworks and policies that ensure AI is not just innovative, but also ethical, resilient, and trustworthy.

WHY❓ Because at the end of the day — For solid AI adoption, you need good governance as a foundation. And good governance is what will define whether AI builds stakeholder trust, or breaks it.

Call us, we would like to remain booked and busy for Q4 2025 🙂