Kenya Unveils National Open Source Programme Office to Drive Digital Sovereignty and Innovation
The initiative was developed under the Open-Source Ecosystem Enablement (OSEE) Project, in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and supported by the Government of Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Kenya has taken a bold step in its digital transformation journey with the official establishment of the Kenya National Open-Source Programme Office (OSPO), announced at the Global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit in Cape Town. The initiative was developed under the Open-Source Ecosystem Enablement (OSEE) Project, in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and supported by the Government of Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The creation of the OSPO marks Kenya as one of the first countries globally—and the first in Africa—to set up a national open-source office in partnership with the ITU. The office will serve as a central hub to coordinate, promote, and sustain open-source adoption across government, academia, innovation ecosystems, the private sector, and developer communities.
The announcement was made by Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, Principal Secretary of the State Department for ICT and Digital Economy, who described the move as a “significant milestone” for Kenya’s digital future. The event was attended by Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, who congratulated Kenya for its leadership in open digital infrastructure, and Ms. Katherina Mänz, Acting Head of Digital at BMZ, reaffirming Germany’s support for Kenya’s digital transformation agenda.
The OSPO aims to build national capacity in open-source development, governance, and security; promote reuse of digital public goods to reduce duplication in government ICT investments; and strengthen interoperability across public digital systems. It will also position Kenya as a regional hub for open-source innovation, sharing expertise and best practices with other African countries.
This initiative aligns with the Kenya Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, the African Union’s digital transformation strategy, and the global push for inclusive, interoperable digital public infrastructure. It also comes ahead of the Software and AI Summit, scheduled for November 10–12, 2025, at Moi University Annex Campus in Eldoret.
Globally, the ITU is collaborating with a few pioneering nations—including Trinidad and Tobago, the Philippines, and Ukraine—to establish national OSPOs under the OSEE and GovStack initiatives. With this milestone, Kenya joins this group of front-runners championing open, sovereign, and collaborative digital development.
Kenya’s OSPO represents a strategic commitment to digital sovereignty, innovation, and inclusion, ensuring that the nation’s digital transformation is co-created, co-owned, and co-driven by its people and partners.
