Kenya signed a Joint Declaration with Anthropic on 22 September 2026 on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, establishing a framework for co-developed AI applications in education, health and public-sector skills. The Standard reported that Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei signed for Kenya and Anthropic’s Head of Beneficial Deployments Elizabeth Kelly signed for the company.
Key points
- The declaration was signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly by Korir Sing’Oei and Elizabeth Kelly, witnessed by Ambassador Philip Thigo and Ambassador Courtney O’Donnell.
- It covers education, health, public-sector skills development, AI research, safety and evaluation, with future pilots and capacity-building programmes.
- Discussions between Kenya and Anthropic began in June 2026 and included a meeting with CEO Dario Amodei in Silicon Valley.
- The partnership aligns with Kenya’s AI Strategy 2025-2030 and its emerging policy framework for artificial intelligence.
- A September 3 meeting between ICT Principal Secretary John Tanui and an Anthropic delegation led by O’Donnell focused on AI skills for public servants, SMEs and cybersecurity.
Sing’Oei and Kelly sign at UN General Assembly
The ceremony took place on Tuesday, 22 September, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly. Sing’Oei signed as Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, while Kelly signed in her capacity as Anthropic’s Head of Beneficial Deployments. Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology, Ambassador Philip Thigo, and Anthropic’s Global Impact Lead Ambassador Courtney O’Donnell witnessed the signing, Kenyans.co.ke reported. The Standard reported that the declaration sets out a structure for AI applications in sectors such as education and health, alongside research, skills development, AI safety and evaluation. The document also allows for work with Kenyan bodies to trial and expand AI projects under national legislation.
Education, health and public-sector skills in scope
The agreement identifies four initial areas: education, health, AI research and skills development. In education, the partnership could support learning, teaching and learner pathways. In healthcare, AI applications may be explored to improve service delivery. Kenyans.co.ke reported that the agreement could give civil servants and the public fresh AI training options and better public services as the country builds domestic expertise. Both parties will also pursue AI safety and evaluation, with later programmes set to cover pilots, training and research with Kenyan bodies. Specific tools or services for the public have not yet been announced.
Discussions began in June with Silicon Valley meeting
Thigo said talks with Anthropic started in June 2026, covering AI uses for Kenya’s language variety, pandemic readiness, food systems and student results. He travelled to Silicon Valley to meet Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei as part of the engagement. In July, Thigo said Kenya could help define a new way of engaging frontier AI firms, grounded in co-creation, trust, safety by design, local ability and a joint dedication to bettering people’s lives. The Standard reported that he said the talks had examined practical areas in health, education and student tracks, public-sector training, leadership AI literacy and foresight, and research tied to African needs and actual use cases.
Alignment with Kenya AI Strategy 2025-2030
Kenyans.co.ke reported that the deal fits into Kenya’s broader technology diplomacy and arrives as the nation puts its Kenya AI Strategy 2025-2030 into action and shapes its policy framework for artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. On 3 September, ICT and Digital Economy Principal Secretary John Tanui held talks with an Anthropic team headed by O’Donnell, covering AI skills for civil servants, small businesses, cybersecurity and possible pilot projects. Thigo said the next phase will cover setting up particular pilots, partnerships with institutions, research projects and capacity-building programmes with the appropriate government bodies.
