Kenya has formally published its Access to Information (ATI) Policy, 2026, establishing a national framework for how citizens can obtain information held by public institutions.
The policy was published in the Kenya Gazette on 9 October 2026 under Gazette Notice No. 15992 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy. Its foreword was signed by Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo Gitau.
The framework is anchored in Article 35 of the Constitution of Kenya, which guarantees every citizen the right of access to information held by the State. According to the ministry, it covers political, socio-economic and communal or group rights while promoting public participation, accountability and transparency in the public sector.
In the policy’s foreword, Kabogo described access to information as a fundamental human right under international law and a key pillar of democracy and good governance.
The policy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly indicator 16.10.2, which calls on countries to adopt and implement constitutional, statutory or policy guarantees for public access to information. It also draws on Kenya Vision 2030, which recognises access to information and data as important to citizen participation in development, governance and democratic processes.
The ministry says the framework aims to establish information as a universal public good, strengthen public trust in government institutions and reinforce the rule of law.
Kabogo said effective implementation would depend on the active participation of stakeholders across the public and private sectors, civil society, faith-based organisations, the media, academia and the wider public. He called for coordinated efforts and acknowledged the organisations and individuals who contributed to developing the policy.
The framework builds on Kenya’s existing legal foundations, including the Access to Information Act of 2016, which operationalised Article 35 and assigned oversight responsibilities to the Commission on Administrative Justice.
Its publication comes as Kenya continues to digitise government services, placing increasing amounts of public data on digital platforms. The policy provides a framework for public access to information as questions around the disclosure, management and protection of government data continue to grow.
