Dr Leah Miano, head of information communication and technology at the Universities Fund, Geoffrey Gitagia, CIO at Avenue Healthcare and Jaine Mwai, chief technology and operations officer at Standard Chartered share their perspectives on how technology leaders are shaping organisations to become future ready CIOs.
During a panel discussion titled Becoming a Future-Ready CIO at the CITO East Africa Summit in Nairobi, three CIOs explored how artificial intelligence, data, and digital transformation are reshaping leadership across banking, public service and healthcare.
Dr. Leah Miano, head of information communication and technology at the Universities Fund, highlighted the scale of the institution’s work and the need for technology to support a mission that directly impacts students across the country.
“At the Universities Fund,we support about 800,000 students a year. We push scholarships of a value of KSh40 billion every year,” Leah said. “The criteria for funding is based on the level of need. For us, the lesson over the years has always been, "if this child who is less vulnerable doesn't go to school, what does that mean?”
She explained that the organisation integrates with multiple government institutions to verify the background of students applying for funding, including records relating to disability, orphan status and other indicators used to determine financial need.
“So, if you say you're an orphan, for example, there are validators, the registration of births and deaths. We integrate with these various institutions to verify that we need to categorise you in a certain level to determine your level of need,” Leah said.
While artificial intelligence offers new opportunities, Leah said the reality of working across government systems meant the organisation had to focus first on getting its data foundations right.
“We were excited about predictive analytics,” she said. “But when it gets to where the rubber meets the road, you realise that the data is so fragmented in government institutions. So the question is whether you are going to start predicting or get your data standardised first.”
She added that integrating systems across multiple institutions remains a challenge, but collaboration has improved over time as different agencies work together to support the scholarship programme.
“This is the third year of giving government scholarships, and over time it has become better working with institutions that are outside your control. The good thing is that when a directive is given, people get on board,” Leah said.
Supporting clinicians, not replacing them
Geoffrey Gitagia, CIO at Avenue Healthcare, described how artificial intelligence is being used in hospitals to reduce administrative work for doctors and nurses, allowing them to focus more on patient care.
He said clinicians often spend a significant amount of time documenting consultations after meeting patients, a task that can be both time consuming and mentally demanding.
“Clinicians really do not like documentation as much as something they are trained to do. The training is that you listen to the patient, you empathise, and at the same time you're processing what could be the likely diagnosis. Then after the whole session you have to sit down on the machine and start retyping everything you've just heard,” Geoffrey said.
To address this, Avenue Healthcare has been piloting AI-powered transcription systems that capture conversations during consultations and convert them into structured clinical notes.
“So, what it does is help the doctor put the different conversations in the different boxes. It’s not an interrogation. It’s a natural conversation where the patient can express themselves,” Geoffrey said.
He explained that the system records consultations in selected rooms, with doctors informing patients beforehand that the conversation will be captured, while ensuring that identifiable personal information is excluded from the recording.
“The goal here is to help the doctor understand what they have not asked,” Geoffrey said. “You can think about it like a copilot to the doctor.”
The organisation has also experimented with other technologies, including computer vision systems used in intensive care units to monitor patients and assist nurses with routine tasks.
“We started two years ago with computer vision helping the ICU nurses monitor the patient. Something that used to take an hour between shifts now is just inspecting because everything is recorded in the system,” Geoffrey said.
He said these changes are aimed at reducing decision fatigue among clinicians and giving them more time to interact with patients.
“Our business is to get out of their way. Give them tools that work with them instead of tools they have to fight with,” Geoffrey said.
Navigating regulation and innovation
For Jaine Mwai, chief technology and operations officer at Standard Chartered, the challenge of becoming future ready includes working within one of the most tightly regulated industries.
She said the bank’s artificial intelligence journey has evolved gradually, moving from basic automation to more advanced tools designed to support employees and customers.
“The bank has had an AI journey over the last couple of years. We started with the basic things like optical reading and those kinds of technologies, and now we’re getting into more advanced capabilities,” Jaine said.
One of the latest initiatives is a generative AI tool developed for internal use within the bank.
“One of the things we launched recently in Kenya is a GPT that is Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) centric. It was launched at group level, but we had to get approvals from the Central Bank before rolling it out locally,” Jaine said.
She explained that financial institutions must obtain regulatory approval before introducing many new technologies, particularly when they involve cloud computing or the handling of sensitive data.
“You cannot just put anything in the cloud without approval. For every application you take to the cloud, you have to submit the application, explain the guardrails and answer questions,” Jaine said.
Despite these constraints, she said the technology is already helping employees work more efficiently by summarising documents and simplifying routine tasks.
“It’s all about how you make life easier for the people who are using the systems,” Jaine said.
A human-centred approach
Across the three sectors represented on the panel, the discussion repeatedly returned to the importance of designing technology around the needs of the people using it.
Jaine said organisations often risk focusing too much on the technology itself rather than the problems it is meant to solve.
“As techies, we get excited about shiny new things,” she said. “You want the latest AI, but ask yourself what it is solving. You have to work with the people and understand what they need.”
Geoffrey echoed that sentiment from a healthcare perspective, noting that AI should help professionals do their jobs better rather than attempt to replace them.
“We want to use AI administratively. Doctors are already good enough at clinical work. What they want is the extra baggage lifted off their shoulders,” he said.
Leah concluded by emphasising that even the most advanced systems cannot succeed without the right organisational culture and understanding among the people expected to use them.
“There’s a lot of education that needs to go out. Technology leaders must help teams understand that artificial intelligence is meant to support human work rather than eliminate it. AI is just augmentation. It’s not a replacement at all,” Leah said.
