Legal Shockwave: Kenya Declares AI Works Uncopyrightable, Sparking Global Debate

Significant developments are unfolding in the African technology and digital sectors, with major announcements impacting artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and streaming services. Kenya has taken a definitive stance on AI and copyright, while Jumia is enhancing its payment options through a partnership with Klump, and Disney+ is set to launch a revamped app and a new mobile-centric subscription plan in South Africa.

On July 9, 2026, Kenya’s Copyright Tribunal delivered a landmark ruling stating that works generated solely by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted. This decision, stemming from a dispute over AI-assisted Bible Scripture Stories, clarifies that legal authorship is exclusively reserved for humans, not machines. The Tribunal emphasized that while AI can serve as a creative tool, it cannot substitute human originality. Consequently, individuals seeking copyright protection for AI-assisted work must demonstrate substantial original creativity, judgment, and intellectual effort in the final product. Simple prompting of an AI tool will not suffice. This ruling positions Kenya alongside countries like the United States, which also maintain that human authorship is a prerequisite for copyright, and it is expected to influence how creators and businesses utilize generative AI across the country as Kenya reviews its copyright laws and debates broader AI regulations.

In the realm of e-commerce, a strategic partnership announced on July 11, 2026, will see Klump integrate its Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) technology directly into Jumia’s checkout process. This collaboration aims to revolutionize online shopping in Africa by allowing customers to compare installment offers from multiple partner banks and complete purchases seamlessly without leaving the Jumia platform. By providing financing at the point of sale, Klump and Jumia are addressing a critical barrier to African e-commerce growth: affordability. Many shoppers abandon carts due to the inability to pay full amounts upfront. This embedded finance solution is designed to increase conversion rates and average order values for Jumia merchants, while offering consumers greater financial flexibility. The multi-bank model ensures that loans are funded by partner banks, mitigating lending risk for Jumia and highlighting a growing trend of integrating financial services directly into consumer platforms across Africa. This move also intensifies competition with other platforms focused on flexible payment solutions, such as CDCare, by offering instant BNPL financing.

Meanwhile, the streaming landscape in South Africa is set for a major overhaul, as Disney+ prepares to launch a brand-new app on September 9, 2026. This comprehensive refresh will replace the existing application, bringing significant enhancements such as faster performance, improved content recommendations, better discovery features, enhanced parental controls, and support for additional user profiles, aligning the South African experience with global Disney+ standards. Alongside the app update, Disney+ is introducing a new R49-per-month Extra Mobile plan. This affordable mobile-only subscription aims to attract price-sensitive viewers who primarily consume content on smartphones, following a recent price increase for the Premium monthly plan from R159 to R179 in May 2026. By keeping the annual plan and the new mobile offering at their current prices, Disney signals a strategic focus on lower-cost mobile streaming as a key driver for growth in the competitive South African market, building on its earlier partnership with MTN for a mobile-only plan introduced in August 2023 and addressing past user criticisms of the older, Hotstar-developed app.