Kenya sets up first national open-source office in Africa
Kenya launched a government office dedicated to open-source software development during the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Summit held in Cape Town, becoming the first African nation to establish such an entity with International Telecommunication Union support. The Kenya National Open-Source Programme Office emerged from the Open-Source Ecosystem Enablement Project, backed financially by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Principal Secretary Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui from the State Department for ICT and Digital Economy announced the program, calling it a major achievement for the country’s technological advancement. The office will coordinate open-source initiatives spanning government agencies, universities, private companies and developer networks. Its goals include building expertise in open-source management and security, encouraging reuse of digital tools to cut redundant spending and improving how public systems work together.
The move supports Kenya’s Digital Master Plan running through 2032 and continental technology goals set by the African Union. ITU Director Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava praised Kenya’s leadership role, while Germany’s Katherina Mänz reaffirmed continued assistance. Kenya joins Trinidad and Tobago, the Philippines and Ukraine as early adopters working with ITU on national open-source programs through GovStack frameworks.
