The Diplomat published on 10 November 2026 an article titled "China's Open-Weight AI Has a Last Mile Problem in Kenya" by Matthew Christ.
Chinese private companies engaged in applying AI to firms in Kenya have encountered significant reluctance by business leaders to accept it. Apprehension about AI was the main obstacle to winning clients. Consequently, the Chinese companies often found themselves operating at a loss. Nevertheless, they managed to find funding for their efforts, apparently from opaque Chinese government institutions. This suggests China may be subsidizing the effort in order to gain control of the AI sector in Kenya.
