AI consultancy · Kenya
AI consultancy for Kenyan businesses
Kenyan customers live on WhatsApp, pay by M-Pesa and expect a reply in minutes. We set up AI that drafts those replies, sorts enquiries and keeps records, inside your own accounts and within the Data Protection Act 2019. All by video, at a fixed price agreed before you pay.
From £395 (about $520)
Based in the UK, working by video with businesses in Kenya. Nairobi is two or three hours ahead of the UK.
Kenya at a glance
| What | The figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New business registrations, January to June 2025 | 74,740, up 10.9%, the highest half-year since 2016 | Business Registration Service, via Business Daily |
| Tech funding raised by Kenyan startups, 2025 | US$1.04bn, the most of any African country | Partech Africa report, January 2026 |
| Members of SASRA-regulated SACCOs, 2025 | 7.87 million | SASRA, via Capital FM |
| International visitor arrivals, 2025 | About 2.7 million, up 9% | Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife |
| Largest ODPC penalty notice | KES 5 million, or 1% of turnover for an undertaking, whichever is lower | Data Protection Act 2019, section 63 |
Figures checked October 2026.
Why AI fits Kenyan businesses now
The Business Registration Service logged 74,740 new registrations in the first half of 2025 (Business Daily, 2025), and Kenyan startups out-raised every other African country last year (Partech, 2026). The government launched its National AI Strategy 2025 to 2030 in March 2025.
The practical reason is simpler. Most customer contact already arrives as text: WhatsApp chats, emails from overseas agents, M-Pesa confirmations, insurer forms. Text is what AI handles well. The edge goes to the firm that answers the 10pm enquiry properly while a competitor's phone sits on the desk until morning.
AI should not make the decisions that carry risk: approving a loan, confirming an unchecked price, saying anything clinical. A person signs those off.
The rules, in one plain section
The Data Protection Act 2019 is enforced by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).
- Registration. Firms under KES 5 million turnover with fewer than ten staff are usually exempt, except in listed sectors such as health, hospitality, financial services, education and property, which register whatever their size (2021 regulations).
- Remote access is a transfer. The ODPC's cross-border guidance notes (September 2026) cover the transmission of, access to, or making available of personal data to anyone outside Kenya. Our logging in from the UK can count, so we agree the transfer basis with you in writing and keep a record.
- Sensitive data. Health status is sensitive personal data; section 49 allows processing outside Kenya only with consent and confirmed safeguards.
- Automated decisions. Section 35 protects people from significant decisions based solely on automated processing.
We use UK GDPR standards as our baseline. This is a summary, not legal advice.
What we'd set up first, by sector
SACCOs
Member questions answered from your rules
A staff assistant on your by-laws and loan policy, then drafted replies on dividends and guarantors. People approve every loan.
AI for SACCOsSafari and hotels
Overseas enquiries handled overnight
Draft itineraries from your own rate sheets, replies in German or French, deposit reminders.
AI for safari operatorsPrivate clinics
Front-desk admin, nothing clinical
Bookings, reminders and insurer checklists. Results and advice stay with clinicians.
AI for clinicsEveryone else
Start with an audit
Developers, insurers and retailers: the audit maps where AI saves time before you spend on a build.
How the audit worksPrices for Kenyan businesses
Dollar figures are a guide at the October 2026 rate. We aren't registered for UK VAT, so none is charged. Ask your accountant how Kenyan VAT on imported services applies to you.
How to buy from Kenya
-
A free 15-minute video call
Tell us what takes your team's time. If AI isn't the answer, we'll say so. -
An invoice in pounds
Pay online by card in pounds sterling, or ask for an invoice payable by card or international bank transfer within 7 days. -
The work, by video
Built in your own WhatsApp Business, Google or Microsoft accounts, so customer data stays in your systems.
In build: the JHC Sector Agent
A WhatsApp agent on your own business number that answers, qualifies, books, sends an M-Pesa or card link where your provider supports it, and hands over to a person. It's still being built; we haven't set a price or a date. Today we can quote a tested automation or a website assistant.
AI for Kenyan sectors
Questions people ask
Can a UK company set up AI for a business in Kenya?
Yes, by video, inside your own accounts. Because ODPC guidance treats remote access from abroad as a transfer, we document the basis with you first.
How do Kenyan businesses pay?
By international bank transfer against an invoice in pounds sterling, due within 7 days.
Do we need to register with the ODPC before using AI?
Registration depends on size and sector, not AI. Clinics, hotels and financial services firms register whatever their size. Check your position with the ODPC or a lawyer.
Can AI reply to customers in Swahili?
Yes, for routine replies. We test on your real messages first and keep a person checking anything sensitive.
Who you'll work with
James Hayes Consulting is a UK AI consultancy led by Ross Hayes, who builds software for his own businesses and uses AI tools in them every day. We work with overseas businesses by video, set AI up on your real work, and tell you straight if something isn’t worth paying for.
Every project starts with a free 15-minute video call. Prices are in pounds sterling and agreed in writing before you commit; UK VAT isn’t added.
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