Kenya plan to sell citizens’ data draws criticism

Data is an increasingly valuable commodity across Africa, underpinning digital public services, AI development, trade, and better policymaking. But the sharing of private data has triggered controversy: Zimbabwe and Zambia both pushed back against US health funding that was tied to data sharing.

Nairobi’s proposal has raised questions about how secure citizens’ data really is. Although the data will be anonymized, some users fear they could still be identified once it is sold to third parties.

“We propose a rigorous anonymization standard, with clear re-identification thresholds, published before any dataset leaves the state’s hands,” Linda Bonyo, founder of digital law and policy organization the Lawyers Hub, told Semafor.

Tanui insisted that the data, derived from digital public services, will be fully anonymous and protected under the proposed plan, saying current laws were robust enough to protect citizens’ privacy. “The legal framework we have on personal data protection and access to information shows there is enough legislation which is guiding that space, so one doesn’t need to be worried,” Tanui said.

Kenya’s plan draws on similar models in the US and the UK, where government services generate revenue by licensing access to detailed geospatial datasets to businesses. The UK’s Ordnance Survey mapping agency, for example, reported revenues of approximately $265 million in the year ending March 2025.

Kenya has taken advice from the EU and Germany to draw up its draft data sales plan; Brussels and Nairobi have agreed a “data adequacy process” that would allow safe data flows and support digital trade and innovation, according to the EU.

But critics say there are still unanswered questions about management of citizens’ data, namely how data will be valued, who will determine pricing, how revenues will be distributed, and what oversight mechanisms will govern the sales.

Semakaleng Thulare, a senior official in South Africa’s statistics office, echoed concerns about Kenya’s plan.

“Pursuing the monetization of citizen data will inevitably undermine public trust, eroding citizens’ confidence in government and potentially raising serious legal and constitutional rights concerns,” he told Semafor.

He said privacy risks were particularly pronounced “for poorer and more vulnerable groups who rely heavily on government supported initiatives and services.”

“Another significant risk relates to surveillance and ‘big brother’ perceptions, when disparate datasets are combined, individuals can be reidentified, exposing citizens to profiling and misuse,” he added.