Total Information Management Ltd. has been appointed as lead consultant to develop Kenya's National Data Governance Policy — a landmark framework that will define how the country collects, manages, shares, and harnesses data for decades to come.
The assignment, commissioned through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ) in partnership with Kenya's Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy, represents one of the most significant data policy initiatives in East Africa to date.
"Data is the resource of the 21st century. How Kenya governs it will determine whether that resource serves the many or the few."
— TIM Principal Consultant
Why this matters
Kenya generates enormous volumes of data daily — from mobile money transactions and health records to agricultural inputs and traffic patterns. Yet the policy and institutional frameworks governing how this data is collected, stored, used, and shared have lagged far behind the pace of digital growth.
A coherent data governance policy will establish the rules of the road: who owns data, who can access it, under what conditions, and with what protections for citizens. It will also create the foundation for Kenya's broader digital economy ambitions, including the Kenya Kwanza administration's push to harness data as a driver of economic transformation.
TIM's approach
TIM will lead a structured, multi-stakeholder process that brings together government agencies, civil society, the private sector, academia, and development partners. The process will be informed by:
- A comprehensive landscape analysis of Kenya's existing data ecosystem
- Comparative review of data governance frameworks from leading jurisdictions
- Targeted consultations with key data producers and consumers across sectors
- Public participation forums to ensure citizen voices shape the policy
- Technical working groups on cross-cutting issues including privacy, security, and interoperability
Context: building on the AI Strategy
This appointment follows TIM's successful delivery of Kenya's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2024 — another GiZ-supported assignment that positioned Kenya as a continental leader in responsible AI governance. The Data Governance Policy will complement and underpin the AI Strategy, providing the data foundations that effective AI deployment requires.
Together, these two frameworks represent a coherent and ambitious vision for Kenya's digital future — one that TIM is proud to have played a central role in shaping.