Kenya is expanding a public-service AI course after 1,239 officials graduated from its first cohort. The next intake aims to reach 9,000 more people in national and county government, shifting the challenge from announcing training to making it accessible across the public service.[1]
UNESCO’s 26 October report records 2,730 learners in the first cohort of the course, developed with the University of Oxford and delivered through the Kenya School of Government. The graduation took place on 8 October, alongside the launch of the school’s e-Learning and Information Technology Institute. Teaching covers AI ethics, data governance and human-centred digital transformation.[1]
Graduates amounted to approximately 45.4% of the first cohort’s reported learners, calculated as 1,239 divided by 2,730. The release does not give the participation histories and completion cutoffs needed to interpret the remainder as dropouts. The ratio describes the two published counts.[1]
The second cohort launched on 21 October and had 2,380 enrolments when UNESCO reported on it. To support recruitment and participation outside central institutions, DigiKen is mobilising 15 Digital Innovation Hubs across 12 counties. Its broader target is to strengthen digital and AI competencies among 20,000 public servants by 2027.[1]
The programme is funded by the European Union through a joint UN initiative led by UNESCO with UNCDF, UNEP and UN Women. UNESCO and the Kenya School of Government are also working to integrate the course into the Regional Centre of Competence for Digital Transformation’s learning platform. That would give the training an institutional route beyond a single intake.[1]
Course completion measures reach, not yet better public services. The next useful evidence will be whether officials apply the learning to decisions such as procurement, data management and service design. Kenya now has a counted first cohort and a county-level delivery network; the expansion’s success will depend on turning those foundations into continuing professional practice.[1]
Sources & further reading
- Kenya Scales Up AI Training with First UNESCO–Oxford Graduation and Second Cohort Launch UNESCO · 26 Oct 2026 · Accessed 27 Oct 2026