Explainer: How Kenyans hand over their data without realising its value
By Aloys Michael, February 3, 2026Every day, millions of Kenyans trade something valuable without thinking twice. It is not cash, airtime, or mobile money. It is their personal data.
With every tap on accept all cookies, every Instagram like, every free Wi-Fi login, and every phone number shared at a supermarket till, data quietly changes hands.
According to Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, most people do not realise they are paying for digital convenience with information about their lives.
Speaking in an interview on a local Radio station on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, Kassait warned that personal data has become the invisible currency of the modern economy, yet Kenyans continue to give it away freely.
“If you want to know how valuable data is, just look at the digital economy. It is moved by data,” she said.
Once processed, it stops being simple identifying information and starts painting a detailed picture of a person’s life. It can show where someone shops, what they buy, how often they travel, who they communicate with, and even how they are likely to vote.
It is this method that prompted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to sound an alarm following a surging violent crime stemming from online scams, because the perpetrators can easily access all the information or data about their targets.
“That is when it moves from just information that identifies you to information that tells deep secrets about you,” Kassait revealed.
This is the same data that powers the digital services many Kenyans now rely on daily. Targeted advertisements, personalised shopping suggestions, mobile payments, ride-hailing apps, deliveries, and social media feeds all depend on personal information shared by users, often unknowingly.
For instance, when you search for a topic online and later check Google and Instagram, sales immediately begin to appear on your screen, complete with phone numbers and WhatsApp contacts and within hours, a delivery is arranged.
The platforms already know what you want, where you are located, and how to reach you. At the same time, the seller gains access to your contact details and location, just enough information to complete the transaction efficiently.
The process is fueled by data. That is the digital economy at work. And it is powered by data we shared freely,” she said.