Kenya does not subscribe to the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rather, it participates in the IMF's less rigorous General Data Dissemination System (GDDS), to which it subscribed on October 29, 2002. Kenya has three data-producing statistical agencies: the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bank of Kenya. In 2005, the IMF issued a Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes Data Module, in which it assessed Kenya's data collection, compilation, and dissemination standards to be highly professional and ethical, but in need of significant improvements in the areas of data quality, reliability, and other aspects of transparency. Ongoing reforms, including the drafting of a new Statistics Act and the creation of a new statistical framework, called the Strategic Implementation Masterplan, aim to address many of these outstanding issues.

General Overview

Kenya does not subscribe to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS), but is a subscriber to the less rigorous General Data Dissemination System (GDDS). Kenya subscribed to the GDDS on October 29, 2002, when it began posting its metadata on the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB). Kenya has three principal data-producing agencies: the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). According to the IMF's Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes, Data Module, which was last issued in 2005, Kenya observes high standards of professionalism and ethics in its collection, compilation, and dissemination of statistical data. However, the report found that the allocation of roles and responsibilities across these three agencies could be more clearly elaborated, which would render the process more efficient and effective. The ROSC further recommended that greater resources be allocated to the development and dissemination of statistical data.

Within the Ministry of Planning and National Development, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) functions as the primary agency for the collection, compilation, and dissemination of official statistics, in some cases sharing responsibility (for government finance statistics) with the Ministry of Finance. The CBS receives its authority through the provisions of the Statistics Act, whereas the MoF has no specific legal mandate for its statistical roles and responsibilities. Instead, these are defined in a presidential decree. The 2005 ROSC found that the legal definition of the specific responsibilities of the CBS and MoF in the area of statistics needs to be more precise. The CBS is inadequately supplied with necessary resources to fulfill its mandate, according to the ROSC, but the report goes on to add that there is a real effort to institute a professional, ethical work culture within the agency. The ROSC also found that the MoF, the CBS, and the CBK generally work well together. However, the usefulness of data, particularly MoF data, suffers from the fact that they are neither compiled nor analyzed according to generally accepted international guidelines. The ROSC recommended that MoF staff be given training in the use of Government Finance Statistics (GFS) methodology.

The Banking Act and the Central Bank of Kenya Act provide the legal framework for the CBK's activities in data dissemination in the areas of monetary and balance-of-payment statistics. The 2005 ROSC found that this mandate should be broadened because, at present, some financial institutions are excluded from reporting requirements. The law grants the CBK independence, and, unlike the CBS, the CBK does not pre-release data to government officials prior to releasing them to the public. The CBK does have formally elaborated ethical guidelines, which are posted on the CBK website.

The Principles

Comprehensive economic and financial data, disseminated on a timely basis.

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Kenya does not subscribe to the IMF's SDDS, but is a subscriber to the less rigorous GDDS. Kenya subscribed to the GDDS on October 29, 2002, when it began posting its metadata on the DSBB. The IMF's 2005 ROSC found that Kenya's disseminated data is compliant with, and at times exceeds, GDDS recommendations regarding periodicity and timeliness.

Ready and equal access to official statistics.

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Kenya does not subscribe to the IMF's SDDS, but is a subscriber to the less rigorous GDDS. Kenya subscribed to the GDDS on October 29, 2002, when it began posting its metadata on the DSBB. For the most part, macroeconomic statistics are reasonably accessible, according to the IMF's 2005 ROSC. The exception is balance-of-payment data. At present, primary access is via the internet websites of the generating agencies and the IMF's DSBB. There are ongoing efforts to improve accessibility, including a new draft Statistics Act and a proposed new framework, called the Strategic Implementation Masterplan, both of which should also address issues of data utility and dissemination procedures. Currently, according to the ROSC, prior release to government officials occurs with some datasets, and this fact is not made explicit to the public.

Official statistics must have the confidence of their users. Transparency of its practices and procedures is a key factor.

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Kenya does not subscribe to the IMF's SDDS, but is a subscriber to the less rigorous GDDS. Kenya subscribed to the GDDS on October 29, 2002, when it began posting its metadata on the DSBB. The ROSC found that Kenya's macroeconomic data is generally serviceable. There is variable internal consistency within datasets, and a failure to adequately implement and make public the policy and practice of data revisions across the range of datasets. The ROSC further suggested that Kenya more closely align its compilation practices with the standards of the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2001.

A set of standards that deals with the coverage, periodicity and timeliness of data must also address the quality of statistics.

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Kenya does not subscribe to the IMF's SDDS, but is a subscriber to the less rigorous GDDS. Kenya subscribed to the GDDS on October 29, 2002, when it began posting its metadata on the DSBB. The 2005 IMF ROSC found that accuracy and reliability are uneven in Kenya's reported statistical data. In the national accounts, this is attributed to both inadequate source data and poor compilation and analytical techniques. There is an inconsistency between the Kenyan methodology and that set forth in the Balance of Payments Manual, 5th edition, which renders these data unreliable or incapable of cross-comparison. Revision methodologies are also inadequate. The Statistics Law establishes that the CBS shall be free of external interference in the conduct of its work. Methodological training is provided by outside experts. There are plans in place to adopt the principles of the System of National Accounts (SNA93), and the CBS recently released national accounts data for 1996-2003 that are in line with those principles. Methodological, technical, and source data changes are announced simultaneously with the public release of the affected data, but there is advance release to certain users. The 1992 Code of Regulations, applicable to all Kenya's civil servants, governs the behavior of staff involved in the collection, compilation, and dissemination of data. An oath of secrecy is required.