The expansion comes at a time when companies across the region are dealing with mounting operational pressures, from climate-related disruptions and cyber threats to supply chain instability and regulatory shifts.

As a result, businesses are increasingly looking beyond traditional insurance coverage and seeking partners that can provide faster response times, sector-specific expertise, and more proactive risk guidance.

Risk landscape

Kenya, East Africa’s leading financial and logistics hub, continues to play a central role in this shift. According to the Association of Kenya Insurers, Kenya’s insurance penetration stood at approximately 2.3% in recent years, remaining below the global average despite growing awareness around risk management and financial protection.

At the same time, Africa’s insurance market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 11% over the next decade, driven by urbanisation, infrastructure expansion, digital transformation, and rising business awareness around operational resilience.

Talent-driven growth

For EIRS, the latest recruitment drive is not simply about increasing headcount. It is about building specialised capabilities closer to clients and improving how businesses experience insurance and risk advisory services on a day-to-day basis.

The expanded team will support faster client response times, stronger relationship management, offer more tailored advisory support, and tap deeper expertise across sectors including financial services, logistics, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology.

“Businesses today are operating in a far more unpredictable environment than they were a few years ago,” said Abhishek Jain, chief executive officer, EIRS. “Clients within East Africa are no longer looking for insurers that only respond after a loss occurs. They want partners who understand their industries, identify risks early, and help them build resilience before disruptions happen. The future of insurance in Africa will belong to firms that combine advisory expertise, responsiveness, and sector intelligence.”

Transforming risk intelligence

Industry observers note that the insurance sector across Africa is undergoing a broader transformation, with firms increasingly competing on expertise and client experience rather than product offerings alone. This shift is also intensifying demand for experienced insurance and risk professionals capable of supporting increasingly specialised client needs.

“Talent is becoming one of the biggest competitive differentiators in the industry,” said Christine Gikunda, principal officer, EIRS Kenya. “Clients expect quicker decisions, deeper engagement, and advisors who understand the realities of their sectors. Building strong local teams allows firms to move closer to clients and deliver more practical, insight-led support.”

EIRS Kenya expansion and investment in the region, which follows the scaling up of operations in Zambia and Malawi, forms part of a longer-term regional growth strategy that includes strengthening specialist advisory capabilities and enhancing service delivery across Africa.

The expansion also comes as East Africa positions itself as a growing hub for technology, trade, and AI-driven innovation, highlighted by major platforms such as GTR East Africa, GITEX Kenya and AI Everything, where conversations around digital transformation are accelerating demand for smarter, data-driven risk and insurance solutions.

As economic activity accelerates across the region, insurers are increasingly being judged not just by the policies they provide, but by how effectively they help businesses navigate emerging risks.

With its theme In Search of Incredible, ASUS will showcase its critically acclaimed portfolio of AI PCs designed to support the country’s national digital economy agenda.

“We’re excited to be a part of the inaugural edition of GITEX Kenya. The country plays an important role in ASUS’s commercial long-term vision for the African market,” said Tolga Özdil, regional commercial director, Middle East, Turkey & Africa (META) at ASUS. “As the region undergoes a significant shift with industry trends like AI, cloud and sustainability, GITEX Kenya gives us the platform to show our latest innovations to customers in the enterprise, SMB and government sectors.”

“ASUS’s line of PCs integrates AI support at the hardware level, allowing professionals to take advantage of AI tools without the need to connect online. In addition to that, our devices demonstrate the highest level of security fit for organizations where data protection is a must.”

ASUS will showcase its strong lineup of commercial devices that includes the ExpertBook series and workstation PCs at the exhibition. Visitors will get a chance to try out the recently released ExpertBook Ultra (B9406), the company’s flagship device that weighs less than a kilogram and measures 10.9 mm thin.

Designed for next-generation professionals, the B9406 features up to 50 TOPS NPU, which enables it to perform AI tasks on-device without affecting the performance or battery life.

All of this is packed in a lightweight device that also features robust durability and enterprise-grade security.

Other devices in the ExpertBook series, the B5405, P5405, as well as the P440 All-in-One and the P500 Expert Centre Mini Tower, will be on the stand.

ASUS will also highlight its AI-driven solutions that enhance productivity, such as AI ExpertMeet, a powerful AI-powered collaboration tool that helps simplify meetings with real-time transcriptions and summaries.

Building on national initiatives such as the Kenya AI Strategy 2025-2030, which positions the region as a hub for AI research, ASUS will support its ambitions with innovative AI-ready solutions.

The company has designed its entire commercial portfolio focusing on key factors that help drive digital transformation priorities, such as AI-first design, cloud-ready devices and sustainability.

Attendees can visit ASUS’s booth at Hall 2, Stand B45, to experience their latest products.

Organised by KAOUN International, the global organiser of GITEX, in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy on Technology of the Republic of Kenya and dx⁵, Africa’s top technology driver, Ai Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya debuts in Nairobi from 19-21 May 2026.

With the AI market alone expected to contribute US$2.4 billion to Kenya’s GDP by 2030 and generate over 300,000 new jobs by 2028, the event is poised to highlight Kenya’s increasing AI and digital transformation leadership regionally and internationally.

It will catalyse a new wave of transformative partnerships and investments, simultaneously accelerating the responsible and inclusive deployment of emerging technologies.

Convening one of the most influential multistakeholder gatherings on the continent, GITEX continues to offer unparalleled access to new markets, capital, talents, relationships, and investment opportunities. Throughout its 45-year history, international engagement and expansion have become synonymous with a brand that now stages shows in eight countries and five regions globally, including Germany, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, and Vietnam.

With Kenya’s highly anticipated introduction into the GITEX international events portfolio, Ai Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya will become East Africa’s largest tech and startup event, bringing together policymakers, technologists, academia, the private sector, civil society, creatives, and development partners.

Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, welcomed the announcement:

“Hosting Ai Everything Kenya is both a recognition of our achievements and a call to action. Kenya is positioning itself at the heart of Africa’s digital transformation, where artificial intelligence is not just a tool for innovation, but a force for economic inclusion, public service reform, and sustainable development.”

He noted that AI, affirmed by the recently launched Kenyan AI Strategy, is a cornerstone of the country’s broader transformation agenda, aligned with the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA):

“We are proud to lead this moment that places Africa on the global AI map—not just as consumers, but as creators and collaborators shaping a future rooted in our values and vision.”

Dr. Korir Singoei, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, noted that hosting AI Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya in the same year as the 2026 Global Data Festival underscores the nation’s ambition to cement Nairobi’s role as the world’s multilateral hub for digital cooperation and innovation.

“This drive is anchored in Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2025, which, for the first time, elevated technology diplomacy alongside our traditional pillars and established a strategic framework for advancing international collaboration on emerging technologies,” he said. “It reflects our commitment to deepen cooperation on data governance, AI regulation, and digital infrastructure – and to weave technology considerations into peacebuilding, trade negotiations, and development partnerships. By convening global stakeholders in Nairobi, we are showcasing that Africa’s diplomacy is evolving and up to task with the new and emerging trends of collaboration to address our greatest challenges.”

Amb. Philip Thigo, Special Envoy on Technology, also underscored the event’s national significance:

“The hosting of Ai Everything Kenya is more than symbolic, it affirms Kenya’s stature as a trusted convener of global conversations on the future of technology.”

Furthermore, Amb. Thigo highlighted the bold leadership of President William Ruto in championing green industrialisation and inclusive development through innovation:

“This moment reflects our commitment to harnessing emerging technologies such as AI not only to solve local challenges but also to shape global norms that are equitable, sustainable, and reflective of Africa’s development aspirations,” he said. “It is also a platform to showcase Kenya’s and Africa’s ingenuity – our capacity not only to adopt but to design, build, and export transformative technologies that reflect our values, realities, and ambitions.”

Harry Hare, chairman and Co-founder of dx⁵, emphasised the collaborative vision behind the event:

“Ai Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya is more than an event – it is a catalyst for Africa’s digital transformation,” he added. “By bringing together global innovators, policymakers, and local talent, we’re creating a platform that not only showcases Kenya’s technological advancements but also fosters collaboration and investment across the continent. This is also a strong expression of confidence in Kenya’s status as a premier MICE destination – with the infrastructure, expertise, and vibrancy to successfully host global technology and innovation leaders.”

Celebrating the partnership, Trixie LohMirmand, executive vice president of DWTC & CEO of KAOUN International, said:

“Kenya has already carved out an influential piece of Africa’s digital landscape – incubating and fuelling tech that is changing lives across the nation. The launch of Ai Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya shall mark a pivotal milestone in Kenya’s digital journey and the rise of AI and digital economies across East Africa. This landmark event shall cast a unique global spotlight on the nation’s progressive policies, homegrown talent, emerging infrastructure, and bold ambitions, consolidating Kenya’s status as a competitive, influential force for technological change in the regional and global tech arenas. This shall ultimately unlock new avenues for cross-border collaboration between public and private sectors, elevating an increasingly dynamic and resilient regional ecosystem.”

With digitalisation a critical economic development and employment creation pillar under transformative strategies, including Kenya Vision 2030 and Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022-2032, Ai Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya amplifies this potential, presenting a world-class programme curated to accelerate tech integration across critical sectors in the emerging AI and digital economies.

Comprising a one-day global summit and two-day exhibition showcase, the event will revolve around six key themes at the forefront of Kenya’s emerging digital economy and technology ecosystem: AI, agritech, cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, and sustainability.

Alongside a global community of governments, enterprises, experts, investors, SMEs, startups, and digital promotion agencies, Ai Everything Kenya x GITEX Kenya, supported by Gulfood, the world’s biggest food show, stands to redefine cross-sector collaboration, inspire new public-private partnership projects, attract investment, scale technologies, and propel Kenya’s digital transformation journey to greater heights.