The Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, has unveiled a draft National Data Governance Policy (May 2026) that proposes monetising non-personal public data. This initiative seeks to transform government-held information into a “strategic national asset” to generate revenue and spur innovation.
The proposed framework
The government plans to build a centralised digital platform where businesses, researchers, NGOs, and innovators can license and purchase aggregated, non-personal datasets.
The policy also aims to facilitate the sale of at least 1,000 datasets over the next five years. The project is estimated to cost approximately KES 396 million to develop and operate.
Furthermore, a new body, the National Data Governance and Emerging Technologies Council, would be established to oversee the aggregation, standards, and commercialisation of this data.
Types of data
The government intends to draw from vast data volumes generated by platforms like eCitizen and other state agencies.
Examples include:
Business & Economic: Business registration trends and land transaction volumes.
Public Services: Passport and immigration application volumes by region, and birth, death, and marriage registration statistics.
Infrastructure & Logistics: Vehicle registration statistics and traffic flow patterns.
Sector-Specific: Regional crop production figures and demand trends for government services.
Privacy and compliance
Anonymisation: The government emphasises that only anonymised and aggregated data will be sold. Personal identifiers, such as names, phone numbers, ID numbers, email addresses, and photos, are strictly excluded in compliance with the Data Protection Act, 2019.
Tiered access: The marketplace is expected to offer different licensing models. While high-value commercial data will be sold, the policy includes provisions for free access tiers for research and public-interest use.
Rationale and Public Reception
Proponents argue that the state is currently sitting on oil without extracting its value. They believe this model will reduce repetitive data collection, enable evidence-based decision-making, and mirror successful international models like Singapore’s tiered access or the UK’s Ordnance Survey.
The proposal has faced criticism regarding the feasibility of true “anonymisation.” Experts point out that when massive datasets are combined, the risk of “re-identification” increases. There are also concerns about potential misuse by entities like gambling firms or the ethics of treating citizen-generated administrative data as a commercial commodity.
The policy is currently in the draft phase, following stakeholder validation workshops, and awaits Cabinet approval before potential implementation later in 2026.
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