Communications chief pushes for more freedom in how Kenyans buy data

Kenya, November 04, 2026 - Kenya’s top communications regulator has told Parliament that mobile and internet users should be free to choose the data packages that suit them best.

David Mugonyi, Director General of the Communications Authority of Kenya, made the point on Tuesday while appearing before the National Assembly’s committee on communication. He was presenting the Authority’s views on a new bill that seeks to change how internet services are regulated, and on Kenya’s plan to join an international cybercrime agreement called the Budapest Convention.

Mugonyi sat with other officials, including a board member from the Media Council of Kenya, as he spoke to the lawmakers. The short video of the session shows him arguing that customers must keep the freedom to decide which data they buy and how they use it.

The bill under discussion includes rules on how internet providers should bill people for data. One of its aims is to stop unfair charging and move toward billing that matches actual use. Mugonyi’s support for consumer choice sits alongside that goal. He is saying regulators should protect the right of ordinary users to pick the packages that work for them, rather than being locked into options they do not want.

For many Kenyans this matters every day. People often buy data bundles that run out too fast or do not match their needs. Students, small business owners and parents who share phones all feel the pinch when data rules are rigid. A clear call from the regulator for more choice could push the final law in a direction that helps ordinary users.