The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has assured the public that personal information will remain strictly protected under the proposed use of biometric data for national censuses and surveys, as outlined in the draft Statistics Bill, 2026.
The Bill, which is currently undergoing nationwide public participation, seeks to transition KNBS into a new body: the Kenya Statistics Authority. A key provision of the proposed law allows this upcoming authority to collect and process biometric data to improve statistical accuracy, prevent duplication, and bolster the overall integrity of national data sets.
Regulatory Safeguards
Addressing data privacy concerns during a public forum in Mombasa, KNBS Acting Head of Legal Services Linda Olueny emphasized that the transition will build on existing data security infrastructure.
“KNBS wants to assure members of the public that the data we are collecting, even now as KNBS, is very safe, secure, and stored in a proper manner,” Olueny stated. “We also want to assure members of the public that with the coming of the new bill, we are reinforcing this issue.”
She further noted that the proposed legal framework explicitly aligns with Kenya’s primary privacy regulations, anchoring its data-handling protocols on:
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The Data Protection Act
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The Access to Information Act
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Article 35 of the Constitution, which mandates that citizen data be treated with confidentiality and a high level of security.
“We take cognizance of the provisions of the Data Protection Act, the Access to Information Act, and Article 35 of the Constitution, which requires that data collected be treated confidentially and with a high level of security,” Olueny added.
