Kenya’s plan to monetise citizen data sparks privacy debate despite government assurances
Kenya’s proposal to create a marketplace for government-held data is drawing criticism from privacy advocates, legal experts, and civil society groups, even as officials insist that citizens’ personal information will remain protected.
Kenya’s proposal to create a marketplace for government-held data is drawing criticism from privacy advocates, legal experts, and civil society groups, even as officials insist that citizens’ personal information will remain protected.
Under a draft National Data Governance Policy, the Kenyan government plans to make up to 1,000 anonymised datasets available for commercial use over the next five years. The datasets could be accessed by businesses, researchers, NGOs, and innovators through subscription-based models, licensing arrangements, and data-as-a-service offerings.
The initiative would position Kenya among the first African countries to formally commercialise public-sector data at scale, treating data as a strategic national asset capable of generating economic value.
According to the proposal, the government hopes to unlock new innovation opportunities while creating an additional revenue stream for the state. The marketplace is expected to aggregate non-personal datasets from government platforms, including eCitizen and other public digital services.
Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy has argued that data can support digital transformation, economic growth, research, and AI development when properly governed.
“Our objective is not the sale of the data,” the principal secretary in Kenya’s information ministry, John Tanui, notes. “The value of this data is that we will have new products from innovation, businesses.”
Officials maintain that personally identifiable information such as names, phone numbers, national ID numbers, and images will not be part of the commercial offering.
The datasets being considered include business registration trends, vehicle registration statistics, agricultural production patterns, traffic flows, and regional demand for government services.
Despite those assurances, privacy experts say the proposal raises significant concerns.
Critics argue that anonymisation alone may not eliminate privacy risks, particularly when datasets are combined with other sources that could enable re-identification of individuals. Concerns have also been raised about surveillance, data governance, accountability, and whether citizens have meaningfully consented to the commercial use of information generated through mandatory government services.
Kenya’s data protection ecosystem has become increasingly active in recent years, with regulators taking a stronger stance on privacy issues and digital rights. The country’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has repeatedly emphasised transparency, accountability, and responsible data handling as digital systems expand.
The debate reflects a broader challenge facing African governments: how to unlock economic value from public data while preserving trust and protecting citizens’ rights.
Supporters view the proposal as an opportunity to fuel innovation, improve policymaking, and attract investment into Kenya’s growing digital economy. Opponents, however, argue that public trust could be undermined if governance mechanisms fail to keep pace with commercial ambitions.
As public consultations continue, the outcome could shape not only Kenya’s digital future but also how other African countries approach data monetisation in the years ahead.
