Kenya: Google Adds Kikuyu, Dholuo and Luganda to WAXAL to Boost AI Access for African Users

Google has added Kikuyu, Dholuo, and Luganda to its WAXAL speech dataset, aiming to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for millions of African language speakers who have long been excluded from voice-enabled technologies.

In a launch in Nairobi on Tuesday, February 2, 2026, the dataset is designed to help developers and researchers build AI systems that understand African languages, addressing a major gap that has limited access to digital services across the…