The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has issued 60 enforcement notices, eight penalties and six fines since being operationalised in 2019.
Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait says ODPC has a complaint resolution rate of 75pc after receiving over 5,300 complaints to date mainly from data protection issues related to use of personal data by data handlers.
In September last year, ODPC imposed fines totalling Ksh 9.3 million on three distinct businesses found guilty of breaching data protection regulations.
The data protection office says its efforts have not been in vain, as it seeks to streamline data protection compliance especially by data handlers.
The compliance also stems from awareness even as the country is beginning to grapple with emerging issues such as the use of Artificial Intelligence in data handling.
This comes as Kenya prepares to host the 9th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Network for Africa Data Protection (NADPA) which is expected to come up with data governance frameworks that will enable a more secure digital future for African states.
“The conference is expected to strengthen the data protection framework of member states and nations,” Kassait.
NADPA will also foster partnerships, enhance regional collaboration as well as strengthen the best practices to enhance data protection.
Cabinet Secretary for Information and Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo said the AGM and Conference will serve as a platform to provide thought leadership for Africa in the area of data governance.
“In the face of rapid digitalization, we have been encountering numerous issues and concerns regarding data privacy and data protection. This platform will therefore provide us, as one African data governance family, the opportunity to discuss our future course of action concerning the data governance framework,” said Owalo.
According to Owalo, data is a critical resource that drives economic growth and development; therefore, data protection is imperative and needs to be managed carefully considering there are emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, machine learning and the internet, the forum will help address issues of data privacy and protection.
“In a proactive manner, we need to strengthen our data governance framework by formulating clear policies, laws, and regulations. These will facilitate cross-border data transfer, enhance the level of data privacy and data protection, and ensure that we establish a unified governance framework for our data management,” he added.
The conference is set to host players in the tech and data protection industry with over 700 delegates, 40 speakers, 50 organizations and entities, and 50 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) from 25 countries.
Allan Aoko
Sally Namuye
