Former Chief Justice David Maraga is arrested among tens of protesters over plans to excise Nairobi National Park land; they are currently held at Lang'ata Police Station.
Breaking : The William Ruto Govt is now planning to sell Kenyan data on eCitizen to anyone who can afford it.
Through the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICTDE), the government is proposing a National Data Governance Policy that would create a state-run data marketplace.
The justification?
Generate extra government revenue.
Treat data as a "strategic national asset."
This may go down as one of the worst policy proposals ever put forward by a Kenyan government.
First they borrowed.
Then they raised taxes.
Then they sold state assets.
Then they securitized future revenues.
Now they want to monetize the data of ordinary Kenyans.
How much is enough?
When you give your information to the government, you do so because it is required to access public services, not because you expect the government to package that information and sell access to it.
No wonder every institution is being pushed onto eCitizen. Schools. Hospitals. Government services. More and more information is being centralized under one platform.
And before the defenders rush in, this is not just about whether names are removed or not.
The bigger question is this:
At what point does a citizen stop being a citizen and become a product?
Today they call your data a "strategic national asset."
Tomorrow what else will they decide is for sale?
A government that sees citizens primarily as a source of revenue will never stop looking for new things to monetize.
NB- Edited image used