After six years at the helm of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), Immaculate Kassait is set to leave the position officially as Data Commissioner, come November 16, 2026.
Being Kenya’s first data protection czar, she opens up about the role she played in setting off data protection and data privacy discourse especially to the public.
“I think we’ve made data protection a conversation in this country. I think for me, that’s what I’m most proud of, and strategically placing Kenya globally, but more importantly, holding data controllers accountable, that they can no longer just take people’s data and use it as they like,” she says.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement with the ODPC, Advocate Dr Laibuta Mugambi said operationalization of the office has brought about liberty to users on how their data can be used by those who are held responsible.
“There is a level of appreciation because the Data Commissioner and a lot of stakeholders even using community radio, content creators talking about data protection, talking about cybersecurity and that kind of thing,” he said.
He went on, “So there is a level of appreciation that there is a point where you and I will drop the ball for whatever reason.
