KNBS launches national data conference ahead of 2026 festival

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on Tuesday launched a two-day conference to commemorate African Statistics Day.

KNBS says the goal is to modernise the country's data infrastructure and integrate Artificial Intelligence into its economic forecasting models, with the theme centred on utilising data effectively for national economic planning.

Officials believe AI will provide more accurate and timely insights to guide both the national fiscal and monetary policies.

“We produce statistics that is ending at the county level, but that is still not enough; we want more granular data. Actually, statistics is more useful when it is broken down to a much lower level, and that is where we want to meet Mama Mboga,” said KNBS DG Dr Macdonald George Obudho.

“We've done up to the location level, the sublocation level, you are getting to the village, you are now reaching the traders, getting to know where do we get this particular item that we are selling and where is it cheap and how do we get it from there so that we are able to stabilise the prices by getting it from the cheaper areas and reducing the cost of this particular item when it gets to where the trader is.”

The conference will also address significant data gaps at the county level, with a view to strengthening devolution through better resource allocation.

Additionally, this gathering serves as preparation for Nairobi's hosting of the Global Data Festival in 2026.

“The work we are doing really complements what we are doing. In fact, everything that KNBS does, data collection, data analysis and reporting, is what informs the direction which we take in terms of budgeting in terms of planning. On a monthly basis if KNBS does not give us CPI, then by the end of the month, everybody will be up in arms including central bank," Economic Planning PS Dr Bonface Makokha said.