CVs & applications · 7 min read
What personal details to leave off a Kenyan CV
A first application needs your name, phone, email and town. Your ID number, date of birth, marital status, religion and photo can wait until an employer has a clear reason to ask.
Many Kenyan CV templates still open with an ID number, a date of birth, marital status, religion and a passport photo. Every copy you send then carries those details into inboxes, shared folders and WhatsApp groups you do not control. Here is what an employer needs when you apply, what to delete, when the full documents are really needed, and what the Data Protection Act 2019 says. This is general information, not legal advice.
What an employer needs when you apply
At the application stage a recruiter needs to know who you are, how to reach you and whether you can get to the job. That is four details: your full name, a phone number you answer, an email address you check, and the town or area where you live.
Everything else on the page should be evidence for the job: your skills, education, attachments, projects and work history. A hiring reader should decide on that evidence, not on your age or family life.
The Data Protection Act 2019 points the same way. Section 25(d) requires anyone who collects personal data to keep it adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purpose. Shortlisting candidates does not need your ID number.
Delete these from your CV
- ID number. Banks, mobile networks and government services use it to confirm who you are. A shortlist does not need it.
- Date of birth and age. The years of your education and work show your progress without your birthday.
- Marital status, children and spouse. Section 2 of the Data Protection Act lists marital status and family details, including the names of your children, parents and spouse, as sensitive personal data.
- Religion and ethnic origin. Belief and ethnic social origin are also sensitive personal data under section 2, and section 5(3) of the Employment Act bars employers from discriminating on religion, ethnic origin or marital status in recruitment.
- Photo, unless the advert asks for one. If it does, use a plain recent photo.
- Full home address, KRA PIN, NSSF and SHA numbers and bank details. Your town is enough until onboarding.
- Scans of your ID, certificate of good conduct or transcripts, unless the advert lists them for this stage.
When we read all 1,702 adverts on work.ke on 11 October 2026, three asked applicants to attach a copy of their national ID with the application, and one of those also asked for a bank account number and a copy of an ATM card. If an advert asks, you can ask why the details are needed at this stage and who will see them. Section 29 of the Data Protection Act says the collector should tell you the purpose, as far as practicable, before collecting your data. Never send a photo of your bank card; no employer needs it to shortlist you.
When ID, KRA PIN and bank details are really needed
Your ID, KRA PIN, NSSF number, SHA details and bank account become necessary once you accept an offer, because the employer has to set up payroll, tax and statutory deductions. That is onboarding, not applying.
Some checks come earlier for good reason, such as a driving licence for a driver post or a certificate of good conduct for a security post. Even then, give the document at the stage that needs it, through the channel the employer named on its own website or advert, and not to a number that messaged you.
No real job charges you to apply or to start, and no real employer needs your passwords, PINs or one time codes. Share identifiers when there is a reason, never access to your accounts.
How scammers use CV data
A CV with your full name, ID number, date of birth and phone number hands a stranger most of what is used to confirm who you are. Once it is sent you cannot recall it: CVs get forwarded, printed and posted in groups.
The Communications Authority of Kenya issued an advisory in July 2018 on disclosure of personally identifiable information leading to SIM card swap fraud. In 2022 it reported that, while checking their registration details, some subscribers had found mobile numbers registered in their names without their knowledge.
Fake recruiters collect CVs in bulk for the same reason. A post that asks you to send your CV, an ID copy and a fee to a WhatsApp number is collecting your data and your money. No real job charges you to apply or to start.
What the Data Protection Act 2019 gives you
- Section 25: personal data must be collected for explicit, specified and legitimate purposes and limited to what is necessary. Section 25(e) adds that information about family or private affairs is collected only where a valid explanation is given.
- Section 29: before collecting your data, the collector should, as far as practicable, tell you the purpose, who else will receive it and what your rights are.
- Section 26: you have a right to be told how your data will be used, to access it, to object to its processing, and to have false or misleading data corrected or deleted.
- Section 40: you can ask for data that is irrelevant, excessive or no longer authorised to be kept to be erased.
- Section 56: if you are aggrieved, you can complain to the Data Commissioner orally or in writing, and the complaint is to be investigated and concluded within ninety days.
Article 31 of the Constitution also protects your right not to have information about your family or private affairs unnecessarily required or revealed.
A clean CV header you can copy
Use this at the top of your CV. It gives a recruiter everything needed to call you for an interview, and nothing a stranger can misuse.
[FULL NAME] [Town or area], Kenya | [Phone number] | [Email address] [Optional: LinkedIn or portfolio link] PROFILE [Qualification] with [specific skill or experience], applying for the [exact role title] position.
Keep a separate private file with your ID number, KRA PIN, NSSF and SHA numbers and bank details, ready for the onboarding form after you sign an offer. Never attach it to an application.
If you have already sent a CV with your ID number to an employer that no longer needs it, you can ask it to erase what is excessive (section 40).
Sources and further reading
- Data Protection Act, 2019, on Kenya Law
- Employment Act, 2007, revised edition on Kenya Law (section 5)
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010, on Kenya Law (Article 31)
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner: file a complaint
- Communications Authority of Kenya: advisory on disclosure of personally identifiable information leading to SIM card swap fraud, 19 July 2018
- Communications Authority of Kenya: operators deactivate 287,214 SIM cards registered with wrong IDs (2022)
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Frequently asked questions
Should I put my ID number on my CV in Kenya?
No. An employer needs your name, phone, email and town to shortlist you. Give your ID number at onboarding, or at an earlier stage only when the employer explains why it is needed.
Should I put my date of birth or age on my CV?
Leave it off. The dates of your education and work show your progress. Give your date of birth on official forms when an employer has a clear reason to ask.
Do I need a photo on my CV in Kenya?
Only if the advert asks for one. Otherwise the space is better used for evidence of your skills.
Is marital status sensitive data in Kenya?
Yes. Section 2 of the Data Protection Act 2019 lists marital status and family details as sensitive personal data, and section 5(3) of the Employment Act bars discrimination on marital status in recruitment.
Where do I complain if an employer misuses my CV?
To the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, under section 56 of the Data Protection Act 2019. A complaint can be made orally or in writing, and the office has an online complaint form.