肯尼亚：公共部门债务统计数据质量评估

KENYA Data Quality Assessment for Public Sector DebtStatistics (July 23–29, 2025) April 2026 Prepared ByDavid Bailey and Naoto Osawa PARTNERS: DISCLAIMER The contents of this document constitute a high-level summary of technical advice provided by the staff ofthe International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the authorities of a member country or international agency(the "CD recipient") in response to their request for capacity development. Unless the CD recipient Statistics Department Prepared by David Bailey and Naoto Osawa TheHigh-Level Summary Technical Assistance Reportseries provides high-level summaries of the assistance provided to IMF capacity development recipients, describing the high-levelobjectives, findings, and recommendations. ABSTRACT:In July 2025, an assessment was undertaken of the data quality of the public sector debtstatistics (PSDS) of Kenya against the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) for PSDS.The mission was undertaken as part of a project to strengthen the quality of public sector debt in selectAfrican countries, funded by the Government of Japan. The mission reviewed the PSDS compilation and JEL Classification Numbers:H63, H81, H83 (consult https://www.aeaweb.org/econlit/jelCodes.php)Keywords:Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF), Debt Reporting, Debt Transparency, JSA, PublicDebt, Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS),Kenya Background 1.Kenya’s public debt is considered sustainable but remains at high risk of debt distress,according to theIMF-World Bank debt sustainability analysis (DSA) of October 2024.The publicdebt-to-GDP ratio reached a peak of 72 percent at the end of the 2022/23 fiscal year. Since then,debt-to-GDP levels have dropped somewhat, with debt reported at 66 percent of GDP at the end of the2023/24 fiscal year, according to national debt reports. Around half of the total debt stock is external, 2.Against this background, the main objective of the mission was to use the IMF’sstandardized Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) to identify areas of improvement inpublic sector debt statistics (PSDS) compilation and dissemination processes and recommendpriority actions to help Kenya enhance public debt data transparency.Discussions with variousstakeholders as well as review of data received and published indicate that Kenya’s public debt statistics Summary of Findings 3.Legal Environment:The responsibility of the National Treasury (NT)’s Public Debt ManagementOffice (PDMO) for collecting, processing, and disseminating public debt statistics in Kenya is wellestablished in the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act 2012. The structures and functions of thePDMO are further expanded upon within the PFM Regulations 2015. In addition, these legal frameworks specify clear oversight arrangements for debt reporting including the prescription in the Constitution ofKenya (article 229) that require annual audits of public debt. However, the Constitution of Kenya(article 214) also limits the scope of public debt reporting by defining public debt as loans1raised orguaranteed and securities issued or guaranteed by the national government which result in a charge onthe Consolidated Fund. Given that debt liabilities take different forms, and not just as loans or debt 4.Institutional Environment:The DMO is well structured with a back, middle and front office consistent with international best practices. It has sufficient staff resources commensurate with itsfunctions, although relatively high staff turnover underlines the need for capacity development,maintenance of comprehensive procedural manuals, and appropriate succession planning. The PDMOmanagement acknowledges the problem of elevated staff turnover and is actively working to address it.The Commonwealth Secretariat’s CS Meridian system is the central repository for all public debt data and provides a good institutional foundation for efficient and accurate debt reporting. To optimize the CS (Central Securities Depository) and the NT’s Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS). Theintegration has high potential benefits in terms of facilitating efficient and effective debt management and reporting, and the NT is therefore strongly encouraged to complete the integration process as swiftly aspossible. Current data sharing arrangements between NT, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), and KenyaNational Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) are adequate but to drive effective collaboration on the quality 5.Assurances of Integrity:The NT, CBK and KNBS are all professional and impartial in theircompilation and dissemination of public debt statistics, with organizational understanding of theimportance of ensuring professional independence for personnel compiling statistics. The Public ServiceCode of Conduct and Ethics 2016 clearly establishes the conduct expected of government officials aswell as the penalties for misconduct. Further, the fundamental principles of official statistics defined in theStatistics Act set out a s