Governing Elections in an AI-Enabled Environment in Eastern Africa

Executive Summary

The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in information management is reshaping the electoral environment by accelerating the production, targeting, and dissemination of political information. This can increase the speed, scale, and sophistication of information manipulation, cyber-enabled disruption, and automated political communication, creating new demands on electoral institutions to identify and respond to emerging risks. The African Union Peace and Security Council has called for stronger institutional, operational, and technical capacities among Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in response to the growing threat posed by the unethical use of AI in elections. In Eastern Africa, the East African Community Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2026 to 2031 and the EAC Artificial Intelligence Declaration provide a broader regional policy framework focused on responsible AI governance, infrastructure, skills, data, innovation, and African technological sovereignty. This brief argues that the region should treat AI preparedness as an institutional capability integrated across the electoral cycle, not as a narrow technology or cybersecurity function. The analysis examines five interrelated issues: AI risk assessment, institutional and technical capacity, information integrity and digital trust, election security coordination, and regional resilience. It recommends strengthening AI risk assessment in election planning, intensifying multi-agency simu- lations, developing an East African Community election-specific AI preparedness framework, strengthening coordinated threat intelligence and public communication, and improving assurance Context over AI-enabled electoral systems and data. This approach would complement existing regional AI and electoral governance initiatives while providing a more integrated framework for institutional preparedness.