89% of Kenyans Now Use AI to Shop, But Only 29% Would Trust It to Pay, Visa Study Finds

If you have asked a chatbot to compare phone prices or find a gift idea this year, you are firmly in the majority. According to Visa’s newly released Stay Secure 2026 study, 89% of consumers in Kenya have used AI tools to assist with shopping. But the same study shows that trust runs out quickly the moment money is about to leave the account. Only 29% of Kenyans say they would trust an AI agent to complete a purchase on their behalf.

The Stay Secure study is Visa’s annual look at how consumers across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) behave online, and how exposed they are to fraud. This year’s edition was conducted by Wakefield Research between January and February 2026, surveying 5,800 adults across 17 markets including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and the UAE. We covered the 2025 edition, which found that 97% of consumers in the region had adopted at least one measure to protect their online transactions. The 2026 study shifts focus to the newest force reshaping online shopping: artificial intelligence.

AI is now part of how Kenyans shop

The numbers paint a clear picture of how routine AI has become in the shopping journey. Among Kenyans who use AI to shop, 60% use it to check reviews or product ratings, 55% to find gift ideas, and 53% to compare prices. A further 91% say new technologies, including AI-powered tools, have made online shopping faster and easier than before.

AI is also changing how people find things to buy in the first place. 61% of Kenyan consumers say they typically discover new brands or retailers while shopping online, which means the recommendation engines and chat assistants deciding what to surface now carry real commercial weight.

The checkout trust gap

Here is where it gets interesting. The industry is racing towards what it calls agentic commerce. In plain terms, that means AI agents that do not just suggest products but actually complete the purchase for you: filling in payment details, confirming the order, the whole transaction. Visa, Mastercard and others have built entire product lines around this idea. Visa’s version, Visa Intelligent Commerce, gives AI agents tokenised payment credentials and spending controls so they can buy things on a consumer’s behalf.

The study suggests Kenyan consumers are not there yet. At 29%, trust in AI agents to handle checkout is low, even among a population that has clearly embraced AI everywhere else in the shopping journey. Consumers are happy to let AI do the research. Handing over the actual payment is a line most are not willing to cross today.

That caution is not anti-AI sentiment. 82% of Kenyans believe AI will play a critical role in protecting consumers from fraud in the future, and 44% feel AI has already made scams easier to recognise. People see AI as both a convenience and a future shield. They just want to keep their finger on the pay button for now.

Social commerce is booming, and so are the scams on it

The study also confirms what anyone selling on Instagram or TikTok already knows: social commerce is mainstream in Kenya. 85% of consumers have purchased products directly through social media platforms.

The flip side is that fraud has followed shoppers there. 37% of Kenyan consumers experienced a financial scam in the past 12 months, and among those who did, 58% say it happened on social media. That is more than websites, online marketplaces or shopping apps. The places where Kenyans increasingly shop are also where they are most likely to get burned.

Children are a growing concern in this picture. 81% of respondents say children in their lives struggle to recognise scams, and 62% have seen a child fall victim to one while gaming or shopping online. With 37% of Kenyan parents saying their children can access mobile payment apps or digital wallets, the exposure is real and growing.

Who should fix it? Not us, say consumers

When asked who should bear primary responsibility for fraud protection, only 12% of Kenyans pointed at consumers themselves. 48% said government authorities and regulators, 36% said payment providers, and 29% said banks and financial institutions.

What consumers want most is proactive reassurance. 67% say real-time alerts from their bank or payment app when something looks suspicious would make them feel more secure, and 30% say a familiar, trusted logo at checkout would help.

Irene Auma, Visa’s Head of Risk for Sub-Saharan Africa, summed up the findings as a trust mandate for the industry: consumers see fraud protection as shared work, but expect institutions to lead with payment systems that are secure by design.

The practical takeaway is straightforward. AI shopping is no longer coming to Kenya; it is here, and nearly everyone is using it. The next battle is whether banks, payment companies and AI builders can earn enough trust for consumers to let agents complete the purchase too. Watch the 29% figure. If it climbs in next year’s edition, agentic commerce in Kenya is on. The full Kenya report is available here.