KCA University Joins Industry and Regulators to Shape Kenya’s AI Talent Agenda

KCA University participated in the ISACA Kenya Chapter’s GRC 360 Africa Conference 2026, held from 12 to 16 October 2026 at Sawela Lodges, Naivasha, under the theme “Trusted AI: Governing Risk, Resilience and Digital Trust in the Age of Autonomous Intelligence.”

Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaiah Wakindiki, PhD, EBS. Dr. Rufus Gikera, Chair of the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, spoke on the panel “Building Local AI Capacity: Skills, Data Sovereignty and Africa’s AI Opportunity,” joined by Prof. Peter G. Kirira, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Mount Kenya University and Robert Nyamu, Partner, Technology Consulting at EY Kenya.

The conference brought together leaders from government, academia, industry, cybersecurity, risk and audit to examine how Africa can adopt artificial intelligence responsibly. For universities, the key question was how to prepare graduates to build and use AI with strong technical skills, sound ethical judgement, and an understanding of governance and risk.

Dr. Gikera said Africa’s AI opportunity depends on building local talent that understands both the technology and the data it relies on. He explained that KCA University designs its data science and AI programmes with industry input, combining technical training with ethics, data governance and hands-on projects based on real problems. He also called for closer collaboration between universities, employers and professional bodies, so that African data is managed and used to create value locally. “Universities cannot build AI capacity alone. When industry helps shape what we teach and gives students real problems to solve, we produce graduates who can innovate responsibly and protect the data that belongs to our people,” said Dr. Gikera.

KCA University’s participation reflects its commitment to working closely with industry and professional bodies such as ISACA, whose members shape standards in IT governance, audit and assurance. Partnerships like these keep curricula responsive to market needs.