Government to Roll Out Ksh 396 Million Platform to Sell eCitizen Data

The Kenyan government is expected to launch a national data marketplace with a value of up to Ksh 396 million, to sell non-identifiable, non-personal data obtained from various public channels, including eCitizen.

The Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy released the policy draft on the National Data Governance Policy on June 8, 2026.

“Every Kenyan day-in and day-out creates passively and actively certain data as we interact with various systems, both public and private,” the draft reads. “There is no reason why this should not be unleashed for the economy to derive benefits from it.”

Also Read: Dennis Oliech: Rise, Sacrifices and Fall of a Kenyan Football Star

eCitizen Data Commercialization and Revenue Generation

The proposed policy requires government departments and state entities to pool their datasets and offer them for sale to other entities like the business sector, innovators, researchers, and NGOs.

According to the ministry, this strategy would yield up to 1,000 datasets in five years.

Moreover, it anticipates the creation of new revenue streams and data-center investments up to Sh104 billion by 2031.

The scope of data to be traded under the policy includes:

• Registration volumes of business permits.
• Passport and immigration applications.
• Births and deaths.
• Marriage and land registrations.
• Vehicle license registration volumes.
• Road traffic patterns.
• Regional production levels.
• Agricultural data.

“Personal data, including but not limited to, individuals’ names, telephone numbers, identification numbers, e-mail addresses, and photographs, are adequately protected under Kenya’s data protection legislation,” the policy noted.

Also Read: God Nation Church Drops Pastor Amid Fraud And Sexual Harassment Allegations

Data Monetization and Public Access

To oversee the entire operation, the government will establish a National Data Governance and Emerging Technologies Council, along with a Data Governance Office, to manage the collection of datasets and implement pricing regimes and licensing frameworks.

For public-interest purposes, public institutions will provide open access to designated public-interest data centres.

Data owners will, on the other hand, commercialise the data, with prices set according to volume and value.

The Ministry stated that the large accumulation of datasets from numerous digital platforms, including the widely used eCitizen, which serves both the public and private sector, will be classified as a national strategic asset.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for instant news updates

Final Draft of National Data Policy and Data Governance Principles. Credits Peoples Daily.