New research · Nendo × Looka

How Kenyans use AI

Tool abundance. Hidden intimacy. Uneven advantage.

We asked 1,161 people across 18 counties how they use AI: for work and study, for money and health, and for the things they haven’t told anyone else. Play the story, find your player, then download the full report.

  • n=1,161
  • 18 counties
  • Unweighted descriptive results

Play the report

A game-style retelling with seven characters built from the findings. Press start, or use the controls to jump between chapters.

Prefer to read? Everything in the story is on this page, starting with the headline numbers. On a phone, tap full screen and turn your phone sideways.

The headline numbers

  • 97%

    aware of conversational AI

  • 87.8%

    use AI daily or several times a week

  • 91.2%

    say AI made them more effective in work or study

  • 72%

    have used AI for emotional support or a personal situation

Nendo / Looka detailed module, n=1,161; unweighted descriptive results. 18 counties.

One-minute game

Which player are you?

Six quick questions. After each one, see how the 1,161 people in the survey answered. Your answers stay on this device.

Finding 1

Tool abundance

Nobody stumbles into AI. Only 2.5% report accidental use.

  • 52.8%

    use AI every day

  • 78.6%

    used two or more AI tools in the past 30 days

  • 34.9%

    use four or more

Top tool pairs

  • ChatGPT + Meta AI57.3%
  • ChatGPT + Google Gemini52.1%
  • Meta AI + Google Gemini43.1%

A phone gives you AI. A computer gives you depth.

ChatGPT = habit (93% aware, 85% active in past 30 days).
Meta AI = convenience (embedded access changes discovery).

Finding 2

Hidden intimacy

Used AI for

  • Research & information77.3%
  • Education67%
  • Professional work58.6%

Then it gets personal: health, translation, emotional support, everyday life.

  • 72%

    have used AI for emotional support or a personal situation

  • 46.3%

    use AI for things they haven’t told others about

Trust AI advice on

  • Career58%
  • Legal56%
  • Financial54%
  • Health47%
  • Family40%

Trust is not the same as accuracy.

The more personal AI becomes, the more trust matters.

Finding 3

Uneven advantage

  • 91.2%

    say AI made them more effective in work or study

  • 39.2%

    effective + worried about jobs/income

  • 52%

    effective + not worried

  • 98%

    would recommend AI or already have

The contradiction is the story.

  • 72%

    would use AI more if it truly understood Kenyan culture and language

  • 25.1%

    have received advice that felt culturally wrong

Local isn’t translation. Local is culture.

Kiswahili/Sheng responses

  • Very good or excellent34.9%
  • Fair or poor~35.8%

Local is knowing the difference between Kenya and a stereotype.

Character select

Meet the players

Seven illustrative archetypes built from the findings. They are not measured segments of Kenyans; each one carries a real number from the survey.

  • The Grinder · Daily Warrior

    Kevin Mwangi

    52.8% use AI every day

    Special move: Morning Prompt Combo. Weakness: Autopilot.

    “Creating cover letter. Writing a research paper. Designing a business strategy.”

    Real respondent · Man · 18-24 · Nairobi
  • The Juggler · Toolbox Mage

    Njoroge

    78.6% use two or more tools; 34.9% use four or more

    Special move: Tool Switch Chain. Weakness: No single tool sees the whole story.

    “Write meeting minutes. Find vacation homes. Seek emotional support.”

    Real respondent · Man · 25-34 · Nyeri
  • The Scholar · Sage

    Brian Otieno

    77.3% use AI for research & information

    Special move: Lesson Plan Summon. Weakness: Trusting the first answer.

    “To help in my school study assignments … translate from English to Japanese … write my lesson plans for teaching practice.”

    Real respondent · Man · 18-24 · Nairobi
  • The Hustler · Merchant

    Amina Hassan

    58.6% use AI for professional work

    Special move: Business Plan Blitz. Weakness: Advice that doesn’t know the local market.

    “Building my business portfolio. Researching on business ideas. Financial advice.”

    Real respondent · Woman · 25-34 · Nairobi
  • The Night Confidant · Moonlight Listener

    Zawadi

    72% have used AI for emotional support or a personal situation

    Special move: 3 AM Heart-to-Heart. Weakness: Trust without guardrails.

    The more personal AI becomes, the more trust matters.

    From the report
  • The Worried Achiever · Paladin

    Achieng

    91.2% say AI made them more effective; 39.2% are effective AND worried about jobs or income

    Special move: Deadline Crusher. Weakness: The three-year question.

    The contradiction is the story.

    From the report
  • The Sheng Seeker · Bard

    Baraka

    72% would use AI more if it truly understood Kenyan culture and language

    Special move: Sheng Flow. Weakness: AI that speaks English but not Kenyan.

    Local isn’t translation. Local is culture.

    From the report

The framework

Access is not advantage

  1. Level 1

    Access

    Devices, connectivity, messaging, AI availability

    97%aware

  2. Level 2

    Use

    Frequency, tool adoption, experimentation

    87.8%daily or weekly

  3. Level 3

    Conversion

    Professional capability, learning, income, decision quality, productivity

    91.2%more effective

  4. Level 4 · locked

    Advantage

    Better outcomes, economic opportunity, confidence, mobility

    Use it wellis the key

The next digital divide may not be who has AI. It may be who can turn it into advantage.

The opportunity is not simply to get more people using AI. It is to help more people use it well.

Choose your guild

Everyone has a role in the next chapter of AI.

  • Media + communications

    QuestHype → measurement

  • Platforms + telcos

    QuestReach → deeper workflows

  • Employers

    QuestAccess → performance

  • Educators + funders

    QuestLearning → livelihood

  • Policy + public interest

    QuestInnovation → safety

Three open questions

  1. Can AI work better on Kenyan terms?
  2. Can experimentation become capability?
  3. Can trust keep pace with increasingly personal AI?

Free download

Get the full report

How Kenyans Use AI, by Nendo, powered by Looka. Tell us who you are and the report is yours.

  • The Access → Use → Conversion → Advantage framework
  • Which tools Kenyans combine, and why
  • The personal side of AI: health, emotional support, trust
  • Language, culture and advice that felt wrong
  • What media, platforms, employers, educators, funders and policymakers can do next

Level up with Nendo training.

Help your team turn access into advantage. See Nendo training or email hello@nendo.co.ke.

Download the report

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About the data

Nendo / Looka detailed module, n=1,161; unweighted descriptive results. 18 counties. The seven players are illustrative archetypes built from the findings, not measured segments. Respondent quotes are reproduced as written.

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