By enabling trusted data sharing and safeguarding privacy, the strategy helps build a secure digital environment that encourages investment and innovation.

Kenya has officially launched its National Data Strategy and Policy, a milestone announced by the Principal Secretary for the State Department of ICT and Digital Economy, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, on May 19 via X. This initiative is set to fast-track the growth of Kenya’s digital economy by harnessing data as the backbone of artificial intelligence, digital entrepreneurship, smart public services, and evidence-based policymaking.

Eng. Tanui highlighted key objectives, including enabling trusted data sharing, protecting privacy under the Data Protection Act, breaking down institutional barriers to ensure interoperability, and spurring innovation through over 22,000 digitized eCitizen services and the Maisha Namba Digital Identity system.

To guide this transformative effort, a multi-stakeholder technical working group within the Ministry’s Data Directorate will spearhead the development of an inclusive, future-ready data framework. The government's commitment to this initiative is reinforced by partnerships with organizations such as the European Union Delegation to Kenya, GIZ Kenya, and the African Union Commission

This policy is particularly impactful for Kenyan citizens, as it aims to unlock economic value across sectors like agriculture, health, finance, and manufacturing. By promoting data-driven innovation and ensuring data privacy, the strategy supports job creation, equitable prosperity, and the development of open data platforms beneficial to youth and startups.

The Strategy aligns closely with the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, which outlines a comprehensive framework to harness digital technologies for national development, focusing on four key pillars: digital infrastructure, digital government services and data management, digital skills, and digital innovation and enterprise.

Hikmatu Bilali