This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
Kenya's Census Raises Concerns Over Data Protection ¶
As Kenya prepares for its national census, concerns have been raised over data protection. The census, which is set to take place on August 24-25, 2019, has sparked debate over the collection of personal identifiers such as ID and passport numbers.
According to Amnesty International's Irungu Houghton, there are valid fears over data protection in Kenya since there is no law to safeguard data. 'There is a Bill in parliament regarding data protection but until a data protection law is in place, there is no legal framework to safeguard data,' says Irungu.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has stated that the data collected in the census will be used for government planning and policy development, as well as for private companies to base their investment, sales, and marketing strategies on empirical data.
However, critics argue that the collection of personal identifiers is unnecessary and raises concerns over data protection. 'It is strange to have the identifiers requirement in the census and while data protection in Kenya is not assured, there are several grey areas regarding whether or not to answer some of these invasive questions,' said Irungu.
The census is expected to cost the taxpayer no less than Kshs 27 billion, with Kshs 18.5 billion being spent on the census alone. The government has defended the expenditure, stating that the data collected will be used to inform policy decisions and drive economic growth.
As the census approaches, citizens are being urged to exercise caution when providing personal information. 'It is already fishy to coerce people to give information they are not comfortable sharing and it makes it even worse when a government subjugates its people to achieve a goal-however unpopular,' said Irungu.
