POLICY
A Senate committee rejects Kenya's AI Bill as too harsh on a young industry
The Senate's Standing Committee on Information, Communication and Technology has rejected the Artificial Intelligence Bill, 2026, sponsored by nominated Senator Karen Nyamu. The bill would have created an Office of the AI Commissioner to register AI systems, audit them, investigate complaints and enforce compliance; an AI Authority to set standards and run testing sandboxes for startups; and an advisory committee with Council of Governors nominees on it. Penalties ran up to KES 5 million or a percentage of annual turnover, with criminal liability, including up to two years in prison, for offences such as harmful deepfakes. The committee said the penalties were too harsh and the rules too heavy for a sector "still finding its footing", and that fines, criminal exposure and ongoing compliance duties would push local developers out. Techweez reads it as a verdict on the bill's design, not on the need for rules: Kenya has no dedicated AI law, and the Data Protection Act, 2019 covers automated decision-making but not AI safety, algorithmic accountability, public-sector use of AI or non-consensual deepfakes. No bill number, vote count or timeline for a redraft was reported.
Techweez
AI
Ten Kenyan AI startups pitch to Meta in Nairobi today for two US$5,000 prizes
The first AI Academy Kenya Pitchathon, run by Meta and the Nairobi accelerator This Is Digital, takes place today at The Social House in Lavington. Ten finalists pitch over two rounds: Neural Labs Africa (AI-assisted tele-radiology), Solivia Data (solar-powered offline triage hubs), O.C.A. (claims audits for insurers dealing with the Social Health Authority), Jackfruit Network (data-driven advice for low-fee private schools), Utter Africa (a Kiswahili-first communication platform for nonverbal children with autism), Me-Nasoma (text-to-speech in local Kenyan languages), TemboTrade (AI commerce and planning for small businesses), JuaFlow (linking customer messages to business systems), HakiChain (an AI legal tool grounded in African law) and Sawazisha AI (matching transactions to KRA eTIMS invoices over WhatsApp). Two winners each get US$5,000 in equity-free funding, Meta advertising credits and an invitation to pitch at Meta's Regional AI Summit in Istanbul on 24 November. The judges include Meta's Chinny Francis and Evan Gichuki of the State Department of ICT. TechTrends' report went out before the event, so the winners are not yet known, and it does not say how many startups applied or how the finalists were chosen.
TechTrends
FUNDING
Her Startup reopens for African women founders: training, a stipend and a US$5,000 loan that is not a grant
Her Startup, run by Nigeria's KSH Foundation, the Swiss Tomorrow Foundation and EHA Impact Ventures, is taking applications for its second cohort until 26 October. Ten founders will be picked. Applicants must be a woman founder, co-founder or CEO aged 18 to 35, running a tech-enabled business with a product on the market, at least six months of trading and at least US$500 (about KES 64,900) in monthly gross revenue; any African country qualifies, at least 15% of places are kept for Francophone Africa and fintechs are capped at 20%. Founders take Founder Institute's 14-week course with the fees paid, at least 20 hours a week, with a monthly stipend the programme site puts at US$1,000 tied to participation, plus free therapy sessions. Those who finish pitch to an investment committee, and only winners are funded: up to US$5,000 (about KES 649,000) as a revenue-based convertible loan, repaid as a share of monthly revenue and convertible into shares if the company later raises a bigger round. In the pilot, more than 200 founders from 18 countries applied, ten from Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania were chosen, and three won funding, one of whom turned the loan terms down. Tech-ish flags one question to ask first: whether Her Startup covers Founder Institute's 2.5% equity pledge, which applies if a company later raises US$100,000 or more. Applications are free at apply.her-startup.com.
Tech-ish
MOBILITY
Nithio takes Nigerian e-motorcycle company MAX's round to US$29 million
Nithio, an investor in businesses that combine climate impact with financial inclusion, has invested in MAX, a Lagos electric mobility company founded in 2015, extending its Series B3 round to US$29 million; Nithio's own amount, the split between debt and equity, and the valuation were not disclosed. MAX rents electric motorcycles and batteries to commercial riders on subscription, with Spiro and NOVR as manufacturing partners. The Spiro fleet is nearly 7,000 in a first phase aimed at 10,000, and the network runs 288 battery cabinets across 143 swap locations, backed by 1 MWp of solar. Riders have completed more than 380,000 battery swaps, with monthly volumes nearing 77,000. MAX says energy and maintenance cost more than 40% less than petrol at current Nigerian fuel prices, a company figure that has not been independently checked. It has also started in Ghana with Kofa and TailG. Earlier this year Nithio committed US$7 million to Spiro, its first direct investment in the sector.
TechTrends
