Kenya has launched the drafting process for a National Data Governance Policy. The initiative is led by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, in partnership with the European Union (EU) and Germany’s GIZ Digital Transformation Centre.
The drafting process was officially launched by Dr. Boniface Makokha, Principal Secretary for Economic Planning, alongside Eng. John Tanui, Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy.
In his keynote, Dr. Makokha said that data is the “lifeblood of modern planning and decision making.” He stressed how data flows across ministries, counties and both the public and private sectors.
Eng. Tanui framed data as a strategic national asset, saying, “data is the new oil.” He said that data helps with innovation, economic growth and governance.
Kenya already has a data protection framework that is tied to the Data Protection Act and overseen by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).
The government also recently launched the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030. Tanui said that “at the core of all these initiatives is data.” He called for policies that safeguard and, at the same time, unlock its value for inclusive growth.
The government has opened the policy process to stakeholder input. Forums and deliberations are expected in the coming months. These will be used to collect recommendations before finalising the policy framework.
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