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Kenya Data Reforms Unpacked: Where Have We Landed?
For nearly 6 years after the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019 came into force, enforcement remained largely reactive. The ODPC focused on registration, stakeholder education and issuing guidance notes.
Kenya has transitioned from voluntary education to aggressive, regulator-led enforcement through the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).
That phase is now over. In 2026, the regulator has operationalised compliance audits, issued compensation orders in response to data-subject complaints, and actively collaborated with courts to enforce data-deletion obligations.
Immaculate Kassait, serving as Kenya’s inaugural Data Protection Commissioner and the head of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) following her appointment in November 2020, takes us through the early days of ODPC and lessons learned along the way, in an interview moderated by FFM’s Special Projects Editor John NJIRU.
The bubbly Kassait will leave office later this year after serving a non-renewable six-year term as ODPC head, having successfully overseen the implementation and enforcement of the Data Protection Act, which sets out rules governing how organisations collect, process and protect personal information. #data #privacy #odpc #kassait #kenyanews