Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Assures Kenyans of Data Safety in Proposed Biometric Census Plan
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has assured Kenyans that personal data collected under the proposed biometric census plan will remain secure and confidential as the Statistics Bill, 2026 undergoes public participation.
KNBS Acting Head of Legal Services Linda Olueny . Photo/Courtesy
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics says Kenyans can relax, because the personal details that would be gathered in the proposed biometric census plan will stay safe , and private.
KNBS, under the Statistics Bill, 2026, has assured people that any information collected through the biometric system will be kept confidential. The Bill which is now in public participation across the country, also aims to re-organise KNBS into the Kenya Statistics Authority, and it would allow biometric data to be used in national censuses and surveys. The main goal is to improve data accuracy and reduce duplication, things like that.
While speaking in Mombasa, Linda Olueny, the Acting Head of Legal Services at KNBS, said the institution already has systems that help protect personal data, properly.
“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,” she said.
Olueny also noted that the proposed law would reinforce data protection steps, by matching it with the Data Protection Act, the Access to Information Act and Article 35 of the Constitution .
“We take cognisance of the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the Constitution, which require that data collected be treated confidentially and with a high level of security,” she added.
As set out in the proposed law, the new authority would be allowed to collect and process biometric information during national surveys and population censuses, as part of an effort to lift the credibility, and reliability, of official statistics.
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