NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 31 — Artificial intelligence could significantly reshape the jobs of about 2.5 million Kenyans, with clerical and other white-collar workers among those facing the greatest exposure as AI rapidly changes the workplace.

📻 Breaking It Down

The bigger concern may not be that all these workers will lose their jobs, but that AI could remove some of the entry-level positions that have traditionally provided a pathway into Kenya’s formal economy.

The warning comes as AI transforms industries globally, replacing some routine tasks while creating new jobs and opportunities for workers with the skills to work alongside the technology.

A Kenya-specific analysis by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) estimates that about 85 per cent of the country’s workforce faces minimal exposure to generative AI.

📌 What You Need to Know

But about 2.5 million workers are in occupations with high or significant exposure, including clerical workers, secretaries, receptionists, financial advisers, travel agents and software developers.

ODI warns that AI could “hollow out the clerical/administrative ladder”, creating a difficult gap between informal work and a shrinking white-collar job market, particularly for women.

About 400,000 workers in clerical and knowledge occupations, including bookkeepers, payroll clerks and data-entry operators, are among those with the greatest exposure.

The group has a median monthly pay of about Sh75,000 and is concentrated mainly in urban areas.

Another approximately 2.1 million workers are in occupations including secretarial work, reception, financial advice, travel services and software development.

Entry-level roles such as shop assistants and cashiers are also exposed to disruption as businesses increasingly deploy automated systems and AI-powered tools.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya