This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On November 8, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Data Protection Bill into law, marking a significant milestone in Kenya's efforts to safeguard citizens' personal data.
The new law establishes the position of a Data Commissioner, responsible for overseeing the protection of personal data processed by both public and private entities.
According to a statement from the President's office, the Bill sets out the requirements for the protection of personal data, including provisions for the transfer of data out of the country and penalties for those who contravene the law.
The signing of the Data Protection Bill comes amid controversy surrounding the Huduma Namba registration, which was introduced in April 2019. The registration requires citizens to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and other personal information.
However, the High Court had ruled that the government should not make the exercise mandatory or issue deadlines for the collection of NIIMS data, pending determination of the case challenging the exercise.
Following the signing of the Data Protection Bill, President Kenyatta met with executives from Amazon Web Services (AWS), who lauded the move, stating that it would enable them to set up an Edge Location in Nairobi, providing better access to services on Amazon.
President Kenyatta noted that the Edge Location would give businesses and web application developers an easier way to distribute data in Kenya to thousands of users with low latency and high data transfer speeds.
