Senior Data Protection Officer Elphas Sagas from ODPC Kisumu Regional Office engaged cybersecurity officers, SME owners, and software developers from the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) on the importance of implementing Data Protection by Design and by Default in line with Section 25 of the Data Protection Act. He emphasized the need to embed data protection by design and by default at all stages of systems /applications development and urged organizations present to register with ODPC in compliance with data protection requirements.

The Office encourages Kenyans to exercise their rights to personal data privacy when engaging with public and private organizations. During a sensitization session in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi led by Principal Data Protection Officer Valerie Kutima, the Office urged the public to utilize redress mechanisms if their personal data is misused through lodging complaints with the ODPC. Other topics discussed included the legal bases for processing personal data, such as consent, contractual obligations, legal obligations, vital interests, public interest, legitimate interests, and uses for historical, statistical, journalistic, literary, and scientific research purposes. This session is part of the national data protection advocacy program aimed at enhancing awareness of data protection across the country.

In our efforts to enhance stakeholder engagement, @ODPC_KE and the International Organization for Migration (@IOMKenya) convened a roundtable discussion today. The focus was on addressing data protection challenges in the field of migration and exploring effective methods for managing personal data while upholding the rights of data subjects. The event was led by John Walubengo @JWalu Deputy Data Commissioner for Research, Policy & Quality Assurance, and Feisal Sharif, Deputy Chief of Mission at IOM.