Your rights when guards demand personal details for building entry

Nairobi County government staff pass-through an electronic facial recognition security check at City Hall Annex on December 14, 2023.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Security guards at shopping malls, office blocks and even government buildings routinely demand personal details such as names, national ID numbers and phone contacts before allowing entry. However, under Kenyan law, refusing to share personal data does not automatically give a building the right to deny access.

“Denial of entry is neither automatic nor arbitrary,” says Mary Audi, a senior associate advocate at Muri Mwaniki Thige & Kageni Advocates. “A building may only deny entry where the requested data is lawful, necessary and proportionate. Refusal alone does not justify exclusion.”

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