The National Addressing Bill, 2025
Status Timeline
Proposed
Active now
Public Review
Pending
Debate
Pending
Executive
Pending
Final
Pending
National Addressing Council to Set System Standards
Under Section 6, the bill establishes the National Addressing Council as a body corporate. The Council is tasked with:
- Creating and administering the National Addressing System.
- Formulating and reviewing national addressing policies and standards.
- Securing and maintaining a comprehensive national database of address data.
Counties to Form Local Addressing Committees
Section 26 mandates every county to establish a County Addressing Committee. The committee's duties include:
- Assigning names or addresses to all addressable objects within the county.
- Supervising the installation of physical address signage.
- Maintaining a county-level electronic database that integrates with the national system.
New Rules and Resident Petitions for Naming Streets
Section 30 outlines the process for naming properties and streets. Key provisions include:
- Property owners or occupiers must apply to the County Committee, proposing at least three names.
- Proposed names must avoid duplication, be easily pronounced, and have a significant local relationship.
- Under Section 33, streets and public buildings may only be renamed following a public petition signed by at least 300 residents of the affected area.
Commercial Users Must Register and Pay Prescribed Fees
Section 43 introduces a mandatory registration regime for commercial system users. Key obligations include:
- Any person seeking to use information from the National Addressing System for commercial gain must apply to the Council to register as a system user.
- Applications must be accompanied by a prescribed fee as established under Section 44 with the approval of the Cabinet Secretary.
Penalties of Up to KSh 1 Million for Compliance Violations
Section 54 establishes a general penalty for serious non-compliance under the Act. Violators face a fine of up to KSh 1 million, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, for:
- Conducting unauthorized addressing activities.
- Failing to provide required address data to the Registrar or County Committee.
- Vandalizing street or building address signage.
- Intentionally introducing false or misleading data into the system.
Bill No.
National Assembly Bills No. 31 of 2025
Gazette No.
Supplement No. 101
Sponsor
John Machua Waithaka
Background
The National Addressing Bill, 2025 is introduced to give effect to paragraphs 18(i) and 21 of Part 1, and paragraphs 8(b) and (c) of Part 2 of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution of Kenya. It addresses the lack of a standardized, legally backed addressing system, which has historically hindered emergency response, e-commerce growth, postal delivery services, and local revenue mobilization.
Key Provisions
Institutional Framework
- National Addressing Council (Sections 6-9): Established as the oversight authority. The Council consists of a non-executive chairperson appointed by the President, one member nominated by the Council of County Governors, and Principal Secretaries representing national addressing, finance, and land ministries, alongside a representative of consumer protection.
- The Registrar (Section 18): Appointed by the Council on a five-year term (renewable once) to run the daily secretariat and serve as the custodian of all addressing records.
- County Addressing Committees (Section 26): Established in each of the 47 counties to coordinate physical addressing, register properties, and enforce signage standards locally.
The National Addressing System (Sections 36-38)
- The Council is required to set up a centralized digital platform to store geographic, street, and property address data.
- The platform must be interoperable with other government databases to facilitate efficient cross-agency data exchange.
New Obligations
Property Owners and Occupiers
- Address Registration (Section 39): Owners or occupiers must register their properties with the County Addressing Committee to receive an official address.
- Reporting Changes (Section 41): Owners must immediately notify the County Committee of any structural changes that modify the components of their assigned address.
- Signage Display (Section 28): Property owners must display their assigned address number or street name in a conspicuous manner on their premises.
Data Processors and Controllers
- Compliance (Section 55): Anyone processing addressing data must comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act, 2019 (Cap. 411C).
Penalties
- General Non-Compliance (Section 54): Offences such as vandalizing address signage, pretending to hold addressing authority, or introducing false address data carry a fine of up to KSh 1 million, a prison term of up to two years, or both.
- Unlawful Data Disclosure (Section 53): Unlawfully sharing personal addressing data is treated as an offence subject to the prosecution and penalties under the Data Protection Act.
- Failure to Disclose Conflict of Interest (Schedule, Paragraph 2): Any member of the Council who fails to declare a personal interest in an active contract or matter before the Council commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding KSh 100,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
Transitional Provisions
- Existing Database Operators (Section 56): Any data controller or data processor who was managing or handling addressing data before the enactment of this law must bring their systems and data into compliance with the Act within six months of its commencement.
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