Katiba Institute Targets AI Abuse, Digital Surveillance in New Strategic Plan

Katiba Institute has announced plans to intensify its legal efforts around artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on issues such as misinformation, disinformation and unregulated surveillance.

The lobby, in its 2025-29 strategic plan launched on Thursday, will target weak regulatory frameworks, including use of AI in service delivery, surveillance and data ownership.

Extractive approach to data collection or insufficient data governance in the country and use inaccurate data sets are some of the issues it seeks to address.

These include deployment of AI in public service delivery, mass surveillance and the management of citizens’ data.

The institute is also concerned about practices such as extractive data collection, insufficient data governance and use of inaccurate datasets—all of which can lead to harmful outcomes in automated decision-making systems.

It says current frameworks are either too vague or underdeveloped, leaving room for abuse.

A major area of concern highlighted is the invasion of digital privacy by state actors in the name of national security.

The plan documents growing evidence that security agencies monitor and trail individuals—especially human rights defenders, political dissidents and those critical of the government—by exploiting digital technologies in a largely unchecked manner.

Katiba Institute’s legal push seeks to challenge and curb such practices through litigation and public advocacy.

The organisation’s desired outcomes in this area include a reduction in unregulated surveillance, improved governance systems for AI and a decrease in online misinformation and disinformation across digital platforms.

To measure progress, the plan sets out several key performance indicators. These include enhanced data protection safeguards, development of robust regulatory frameworks and effective checks against spread of false or manipulated information.

By focusing on these areas, the Institute hopes to contribute to a more accountable and transparent use of AI technologies in public and private sectors.

In addition to AI, the Institute will also prioritise digital public infrastructure, with a specific focus on government-led initiatives such as the Maisha Number and Huduma Namba digital identity systems.

The organisation will investigate how these systems handle data privacy and the extent to which they will be used responsibly.

“The key issues to be addressed under this sub-area include threats surrounding digital IDs—such as concerns over equality, privacy and data protection posed by flawed system designs and biased algorithms,” the plan says.

The lobby group also plans to widen its scope to include digital financial systems, scrutinizing government access to private corporate data and the growing trend of interlinked government databases.

Such linkages raise concerns over excessive state power, limited oversight and the potential misuse of personal data.

Other technology-related areas highlighted in the strategic plan include education, healthcare and election technologies.

The Institute says these sectors, while rapidly digitising, are not immune to privacy risks and data security issues, especially due to the broad and often ambiguous access to personal information by both public and private actors.

Katiba Institute’s new strategy represents a major step in advocating for digital rights, data accountability and responsible AI governance, aligning itself with the growing global discourse on tech ethics and human rights.

Instant Analysis:

Katiba Institute’s new strategy signals a bold legal offensive against unchecked AI use and digital surveillance in Kenya. Their focus on rights-based regulation could set a vital precedent for tech governance across Africa.