Kenya invests KES 1.18B to replace traffic police with AI system

Kenya's government allocated KES 1.18 billion ($9.1 million) next financial year to expand Nairobi's Intelligent Transport System (ITS) Phase III, an AI-powered network that will gradually replace traffic police officers at 125 major intersections across the capital. The investment represents a tenfold increase from current KES 116 million allocation and marks the government's confidence that cameras and algorithms can manage Nairobi's roads better than human officers.

The system, being implemented by Kenya Urban Roads Authority, will use AI to monitor traffic in real time, detect violations like speeding and red-light offenses, and automatically adjust traffic light timing based on congestion. All intersections will connect to a central control hub at City Cabanas on Mombasa Road, where engineers will coordinate traffic flow remotely. Number plate recognition cameras will identify violations while analyzing vehicle movement patterns before digitally issuing penalties.

Traffic jams currently cost Kenya KES 120 billion ($929.1 million) annually through lost productivity and fuel wastage, with commuters spending nearly an hour on journeys that should take minutes. The rollout over the next three financial years—financed by a $185 million Chinese loan—aims to reduce these losses by making roads more responsive than fixed traffic schedules or manual interventions. However, the citywide surveillance capabilities raise privacy concerns as Kenya creates its most extensive traffic monitoring infrastructure to date.

Will this AI traffic system reduce your commute time, or do the privacy concerns of widespread surveillance outweigh the congestion benefits?

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/05/14/nairobi-phase-out-traffic-police-ai-traffic-plan/