Kenya Minute.
Saturday, 12 September 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Saturday, 12 September 2026
Nairobi—:—London—:—New York—:—Beijing—:—
Kenyan press · Organization

Office of the Data Protection Commissioner

Also known as: ODPC

Kenyan government body that enforces data protection law, including ordering compensation for privacy breaches and warning data handlers to comply with registration requirements.

2026-04-252026-09-12

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. September 2026
  2. Citizen Digital

    Due to funding gaps in Kenya’s data governance, the stakeholders also recommend an amendment to the Data Protection Regulations to permit the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) to retain a defined percentage of administrative fines and controller registration fees.

    Stakeholders urge ratification of Malabo Convention for effective digital governance in Kenya
  3. Capital News

    Kenya’s Data Protection Act provides the legal framework for processing personal data, with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner responsible for regulation.

    AI: Revolution or hype? Separating fact from fear
  4. August 2026
  5. Capital News

    NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 29 – Organisations handling personal data in Kenya have been given 14 days to renew expired registration certificates or risk enforcement action by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).

    ODPC gives data handlers 14 days to renew expired certificates
  6. Citizen Digital

    He also claims that a complaint lodged with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner resulted in a finding that Platinum Credit's Independent Sales Agent Agreement did not comply with Regulation 24 of the Data Protection (General) Regulations, 2021.

    Platinum Credit ordered to preserve customer data amid case challenging lender's procedures
  7. Citizen Digital

    Subsequently, unlawful processing or unauthorized disclosure of protected personal data carries substantial civil and criminal liabilities, including monetary fines imposed by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) or imprisonment.

    Dennis Itumbi sparks outrage over alleged medical data breach in online defense of SHA
  8. The Standard

    He reiterated that such data must be collected, processed, stored and shared lawfully under Kenya’s Data Protection Act and the oversight of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

    Government outlines policy path for Kenya's growing telematics sector
  9. Capital News

    The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is also moving to define how existing data protection laws should apply to Artificial Intelligence.

    Kenya moves to regulate AI, but who will call the shots?
  10. The Standard

    Kenya, to its credit, passed the Data Protection Act and operationalised the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).

    Watched and unaware: Why we must guard against digital snooping
  11. The Standard

    The order was issued by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), Immaculate Kassait, in a determination arising from a complaint over the unauthorised release of a Form Four student's photograph during the deadly 2023 contamination outbreak at the institution.The OD

    Mukumu Girls fined Sh300,000 for sharing minor's photo without consent
  12. The Standard

    tations and arrangements of popular African gospel tunes and Kenyan secular songs.MKU additionally won a special composition sponsored by Equity Group, earning a Sh100,000 prize as well triumphed in a special composition sponsored by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner

    Universities battle for the crown as Kenya Music Festival reaches a crescendo
Politics

Stakeholders call for Kenya to ratify Malabo Convention on digital governance

The News

Kenya has undergone rapid technological growth accompanied by increasing digital risks. Stakeholders argue the Malabo Convention—an African Union treaty creating a unified legal framework for cybersecurity, electronic transactions, and personal data protection across Africa—is essential to address cross-border digital governance challenges; despite Cabinet approval in 2025, the agreement awaits National Assembly ratification.

8 September 2026 · Citizen Digital

Tuesday 8 September

  1. Stakeholders call for Kenya to ratify Malabo Convention on digital governance

    Kenya has undergone rapid technological growth accompanied by increasing digital risks. Stakeholders argue the Malabo Convention—an African Union treaty creating a unified legal framework for cybersecurity, electronic transactions, and personal data protection across Africa—is essential to address cross-border digital governance challenges; despite Cabinet approval in 2025, the agreement awaits National Assembly ratification.

    8 September 2026 · Citizen Digital

Tuesday 1 September

  1. Kenya leads global AI adoption among internet users

    Kenyan internet users aged 16 and above have the highest AI tool adoption rate globally at 97.5 per cent in the past month, according to the Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update covering 54 markets. The article examines whether widespread AI adoption will translate into measurable economic gains for Kenya, alongside concerns about job displacement, misinformation, and privacy.

    1 September 2026 · Capital News

Saturday 29 August

  1. ODPC gives data handlers 14 days to renew expired certificates

    Kenya's Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has given organisations handling personal data until September 11, 2026 to renew expired registration certificates, warning that failure to comply could trigger enforcement action.

    29 August 2026 · Capital News

Wednesday 26 August

  1. High Court orders Platinum Credit to preserve customer data

    The High Court has ordered Platinum Credit Limited to preserve its customer and marketing records as it considers a case challenging how personal data is collected, used and handled by the digital lender. Justice Patricia Nyaundi Mande certified the case as urgent, requiring the company to keep records including customer agreements, consent documentation, communications, complaints, and data protection policies that could be important to the case.

    26 August 2026 · Citizen Digital

Monday 24 August

  1. Government strategist accused of breaching medical data online

    Dennis Itumbi faced criticism from data privacy advocates and legal experts after posting details of private medical claims by individuals linked to lawyer Ndegwa Njiru on X, reigniting debate over sensitive health data protection under Kenya's Social Health Authority framework and patient privacy under the Health Act.

    24 August 2026 · Citizen Digital

Sunday 23 August

  1. Government sets telematics policy framework for fleet management

    Kenya's government has outlined a policy framework for the fleet management industry, emphasising secure data use, interoperability, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and electric mobility support. The framework aims to improve road safety, strengthen logistics reliability and enterprise competitiveness within an intelligent digital transport ecosystem.

    23 August 2026 · The Standard

Friday 21 August

  1. Kenya develops AI regulation but implementation oversight unclear

    Kenya has launched a National AI Strategy 2025–2030 and proposed an AI law, but confusion is mounting over which institution will regulate AI and how the strategy will be funded, as multiple agencies develop overlapping rules and oversight mechanisms.

    21 August 2026 · Capital News

  2. Surveillance grows across Africa as citizens remain unaware

    Governments across Africa are investing heavily in surveillance technologies to monitor citizens' communications and online activity under the banner of national security and service delivery, yet most Kenyans remain unaware of how much data is being collected and who has access to it. While Kenya has passed the Data Protection Act and established the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, implementation remains inconsistent.

    21 August 2026 · The Standard

  3. Mukumu Girls ordered to pay Sh300,000 for sharing student's photo

    The Data Protection Commissioner has ordered Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls' High School to pay Sh300,000 as compensation for unlawfully sharing a Form Four student's photograph without parental consent. The school disclosed the minor's image to media in May 2023 for publication, breaching data protection principles by using the photo for a purpose materially different from its original collection for admission and administration.

    21 August 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 12 August

  1. Universities compete at Kenya National Music Festival

    Kenya's universities are competing at the 98th Kenya National Music Festival in Bungoma County, held from August 7 to 14, showcasing musical excellence, cultural heritage and artistic creativity under the theme "Enhancing the Creative Economy through Knowledge, Skills and Artistic Production for Sustainable Development." Institutions including Kabarak University and Mount Kenya University are performing various musical pieces and competing for the national crown.

    12 August 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 22 July

  1. Data Protection Commissioner adopts ISO quality standard amid cyber threats

    Kenya loses at least Sh29 billion annually to cybersecurity threats, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has adopted the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System to improve service delivery and strengthen accountability as the digital economy expands.

    22 July 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 8 July

  1. Music festival learners promote online safety and data privacy

    At Kenya Music Festival regional competitions, learners use music, poetry, dance and elocution to advocate for online safety, data protection, responsible internet use, and other social issues. Performances emphasized the dangers of digital platform misuse, including misinformation and cyberbullying, urging peers to verify information before sharing.

    8 July 2026 · The Standard

Friday 3 July

  1. Government urges responsible AI adoption, consumer data protection

    Kenya's Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Stephen Isaboke told the Marketing Society of Kenya summit that businesses should embrace artificial intelligence responsibly while protecting consumer data, characterizing data misuse as equivalent to theft.

    3 July 2026 · Citizen Digital

Thursday 2 July

  1. Data theft equals property theft, PS warns marketers

    Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke has urged marketers to embrace artificial intelligence responsibly, warning that misuse of consumer data amounts to theft. He said data now drives innovation and informs decisions across sectors, justifying the creation of the Office of Data Protection, which has warned businesses that entities handling personal data risk fines of up to Sh5 million for failing to register.

    2 July 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 1 July

  1. Petition challenges NTSA e-sticker over privacy and fraud risks

    Public interest litigants have filed a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner against the NTSA's newly introduced electronic vehicle inspection sticker, arguing it violates motorists' privacy rights by requiring public display of sensitive personal and vehicle information including owner name, registration and engine numbers, and vehicle identification number.

    1 July 2026 · Citizen Digital

Friday 12 June

  1. High Court suspends Rology Medical Kenya operations over data law violations

    Justice Patricia Mande Nyaudi ordered the immediate suspension of Rology Medical Kenya Limited's operations until it complies with Kenya's digital health and data protection laws. The court directed the government and health regulators to revoke any approvals the company holds for handling patients' digital health records.

    12 June 2026 · The Standard

Monday 8 June

  1. Kenya leads AI adoption but struggles with regulation

    Kenya recorded the world's highest usage rate of AI tools in 2025, with 42.1% of internet users aged 16 and above reporting active use of AI-powered technologies, yet faces challenges balancing AI empowerment with surveillance and manipulation risks, according to reports cited in this opinion piece.

    8 June 2026 · Citizen Digital

Thursday 4 June

  1. Only 12% of government services fully digitised, Kabogo tells Senate

    Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo reported to the Senate Information Commission Technology Committee that of 6,000 government services across Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and County Governments, only 12% are fully digitised and available through end-to-end digital channels; 30% are partially digitised, while 58% continue to rely on manual processes. The average online transaction completion rate was 37%, and less than 10% of approximately 635 million physical government records have been digitised.

    4 June 2026 · The Standard

Thursday 14 May

  1. Kenya has adequate safeguards against online child abuse

    Information and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo told the Senate that Kenya has legal, regulatory and administrative safeguards to protect children from harm online, including subsidiary regulations, industry guidelines, ethical codes, and interventions by the Data Protection Commissioner, Media Council of Kenya, Kenya Film Classification Board and State Department for Children Services. Kabogo said these instruments are aligned to international treaties and UN guidance.

    14 May 2026 · The Standard

Monday 11 May

  1. Doctors condemn politicians filming patients in hospitals

    The Kenya Medical Association has raised concerns over leaders and members of the public filming and photographing patients in healthcare facilities, saying such actions breach patients' legal rights, ethical protections, and human dignity. The KMA stated that politicians often enter wards and theatres without proper PPE, risking infections and violating privacy and confidentiality.

    11 May 2026 · The Standard

Saturday 9 May

  1. Doctors' union condemns politicians filming in hospitals

    The Kenya Medical Association has condemned politicians and public figures staging photo shoots and broadcasts inside hospitals, stating the practice violates patient privacy and dignity. The association warned that filming in wards and patient areas breaches patients' legal and ethical protections and violates the Constitution and Data Protection Act.

    9 May 2026 · Capital News

Friday 8 May

  1. KMA condemns politicians' live streams in hospitals for political gain

    The Kenya Medical Association has strongly condemned what it says is a growing trend of politicians, public figures and members of the public staging photography sessions, live broadcasts and media events inside healthcare facilities, saying the actions violate patient privacy, dignity and confidentiality under the Constitution and the Health Act, 2017.

    8 May 2026 · Citizen Digital

Thursday 7 May

  1. High Court dismisses case against parties over illegal member registration

    The High Court declined to hold political parties accountable for illegally registering persons as members, ruling that petitioners had not attached an electronic evidence certificate to authenticate the data. Four petitioners had sued UDA, Jubilee and Farmers parties after finding themselves affiliated with the parties in June 2021 without having registered or given consent.

    7 May 2026 · The Standard

Wednesday 29 April

  1. Mama Lucy Hospital board member faces backlash over patient livestream

    Calvince Gaucho, newly-appointed board member of Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, live-streamed a ward tour on TikTok, capturing patients in various states including those in visible distress, prompting widespread outrage over privacy violations.

    29 April 2026 · Citizen Digital

Saturday 25 April

  1. Government shifts digital focus to governance and cybersecurity

    Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo said Kenya's digital economy has moved beyond adoption and innovation into a phase centred on accountability, system resilience, and trust, as the country confronts unprecedented cyber risks including 4.56 billion cyber events recorded in a single quarter. The government is strengthening digital governance frameworks, reviewing the Kenya Information and Communications Act, and developing new policies on cloud services and artificial intelligence regulation.

    25 April 2026 · The Standard

Office of the Data Protection Commissioner — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute