President William Ruto has set September 2026 as the target for completing a data adequacy agreement with the European Union. The framework, which started in May 2024, would make Kenya the first African country with such an arrangement. It would allow free movement of personal data between Kenya and the EU.
President William Ruto announced the timeline during his Europe tour. He said the agreement is nearly complete and will go to the European Union Parliament for ratification. Ruto stated that by early next year Kenya would be treated like any European country under the deal.
The data adequacy status would recognise Kenya's data protection laws as sufficient for handling personal information from the EU. This step is expected to cut costs for businesses and support growth in technology sectors such as software development and data processing.
The European Union has committed 102 million euros, equivalent to Ksh15 billion, through the EU-Kenya Digital Partnership. The funds will support fibre-optic networks, public Wi-Fi and eco-friendly data centres.
