News and Analysis
June 5, 2026
Hello and welcome to the Money News Roundup Newsletter. Today, we unpack the government's plan to monetise non-personal eCitizen data and a proposal that would give KRA powers to freeze accounts and recover unremitted pension contributions from defaulting employers.
The government plans to generate additional revenue by selling non-personal data collected through platforms such as eCitizen and other State agencies.
As reported by Nation, under proposals contained in the National Data Governance Policy, the Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy intends to establish a national data marketplace where businesses, researchers, NGOs, and innovators can access anonymised and aggregated datasets for a fee.
The proposed platform will be overseen by a new National Data Governance and Emerging Technologies Council, which is expected to facilitate the sale of at least 1,000 datasets over the next five years.
Data that could be offered includes trends in business registrations, passport applications, birth and death registrations, vehicle registrations, land transactions, traffic flow, and crop production.
Personal information such as names, phone numbers, ID numbers, and email addresses will remain protected under Kenya’s data protection laws.
The government estimates the marketplace will cost Ksh396 million to establish and operate over five years, while creating a new revenue stream from public sector data.
Employers who fail to remit workers’ pension deductions could face tougher enforcement measures, including frozen bank accounts, asset seizures, and deactivated tax PINs under the proposed Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
As reported by the Business Daily, the Bill seeks to empower KRA to recover unremitted pension contributions, similar to how it collects unpaid taxes.
The move is aimed at addressing rising pension arrears, which stood at Ksh66.41 billion in December 2025, up from Ksh47.1 billion in June 2024.
The Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) has been pushing for stronger enforcement powers, arguing that employers who deduct pension contributions but fail to remit them deprive workers of investment returns and reduce their retirement savings.
Public institutions, including county governments and public universities, account for most of the arrears. KRA would be able to issue agency notices, recover funds from bank accounts, and take other enforcement actions against defaulting employers.
NTSA has clarified that the instant traffic fines system remains operational despite ongoing court cases affecting part of the programme.
As reported by Nation, NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa said the Minor Traffic Offences Rules, which allow traffic offences to be identified and enforced through cameras and police notices, have not been suspended and continue to be implemented nationwide.
According to NTSA, court orders issued by the Kiambu Law Courts only affect the Public Private Partnership (PPP) component of the programme, including plans to expand the number of enforcement cameras.
NTSA maintained that motorists can still be issued with instant fines for offences detected through existing cameras, police notices, and the digital enforcement application used by traffic officers.
Meanwhile, Nation also reports that a motorist who had been fined Ksh200,000 or sentenced to three years in prison for careless driving has successfully overturned his conviction.
Daniel Mwangi Munyaka was convicted over a 2018 accident in Murang’a but appealed the decision. The court found that amendments to the Traffic Act in 2012 replaced the offence of “careless driving” with “driving without due care and attention.” As a result, the charge was deemed defective.
Four lenders remain below the Central Bank of Kenya’s minimum core capital requirement of Ksh3 billion despite a December 2025 compliance deadline.
As reported by the Business Daily, disclosures for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, show that Credit Bank, Consolidated Bank of Kenya, Development Bank of Kenya, and Access Bank Kenya are yet to meet the threshold introduced under the Business Laws (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Credit Bank is pursuing a capital raise, including a planned private placement, while Consolidated Bank is seeking Ksh1.125 billion from the National Treasury. Access Bank Kenya expects to achieve compliance through its proposed merger with the National Bank of Kenya.
Banks face increasing pressure as the minimum capital requirement will rise to Ksh5 billion by the end of 2026 and gradually increase to Ksh10 billion by 2029.
Uchumi Supermarket has appointed John Mwara as its new Board Chairperson, replacing John Karani Ndiwa, who served in an acting capacity for nearly eight years.
As reported by the Kenyan Wall Street, Mwara, a former Managing Director of Faulu Kenya, has been a member of the Uchumi board since August 2023. His appointment was ratified during the retailer’s 38th Annual General Meeting, its first since 2018.
He takes over as Uchumi shows signs of recovery, posting a net profit of Ksh8.7 million in FY2025 compared to a Ksh167.8 million loss a year earlier. However, the retailer still faces significant challenges, with liabilities of Ksh10.13 billion against assets of Ksh3.08 billion.
Five mattress manufacturers under investigation for alleged price-fixing inadvertently heightened suspicions of collusion after jointly filing a court case seeking to block planned raids by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK).
The firms—Bobmil Industries, Superform, Foam Mattress, Jumbo Foam Mattress Industries, and Vitafoam Products—filed the case on March 30 but withdrew it the following day after reportedly realising the joint action could suggest coordination among competitors.
Despite the withdrawal, CAK proceeded with dawn raids in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kisumu, seizing phones, computers, hard drives, and sales records. Investigators are examining whether the firms shared pricing and other market-sensitive information. Read more
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