Annual Data Privacy Conference in Mombasa Closes with Call for Stronger Personal  Data Protection

The Annual Data Privacy Conference 2026 concluded on Wednesday in Mombasa, bringing together senior government officials, regulators, industry leaders, and digital policy experts to shape the future of data governance in Kenya.

The closing ceremony, organized by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), was attended by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Director General, Mr. David Mugonyi, alongside other senior government leaders. The conference underscored collaboration as a catalyst for action, positioning data privacy as a cornerstone of a secure, inclusive, and future-ready digital economy.

During the ceremony, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Hon. William Kabogo, EGH, officially launched the report “Data Without Borders: How Trusted Data Flows Can Power Kenya’s Economic Growth.” Also in attendance were Mr. John Tanui, MBS, Principal Secretary, State Department for ICT, and Ms. Immaculate Kassait, MBS, Data Protection Commissioner.

The Communications Authority of Kenya reaffirmed that child data protection is a national imperative, requiring proactive regulation, ethical system design, and sustained multi-stakeholder collaboration. As particularly vulnerable ICT consumers, children require enhanced safeguards to ensure their safety and privacy online.

Under the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998, CA’s mandate prioritizes consumer protection, with special emphasis on children. In line with this mandate, the Authority has implemented a comprehensive Child Online Protection (COP) Programme aligned with global best practices and guided by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The COP Programme is anchored on child-centric policy development, age-appropriate design, stakeholder collaboration, public awareness, compliance monitoring, redress mechanisms, and evidence-based research. Key milestones include the role of the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team (KE-CIRT) in addressing online threats to children, CA’s contribution to the National ICT Policy Guidelines 2020, and the enactment of the Kenya Information and Communications (Registration of Telecommunications Service Subscribers) Regulations, 2025.

The 2025 regulations require parents or guardians to register SIM cards on behalf of minors, limit unnecessary child-specific data collection, and ensure secure access to communication services. Service providers must also regularly review subscriber records, notify guardians as minors approach adulthood, and support safe transitions.

CA further enforces industry guidelines requiring privacy-by-design, high default privacy settings, parental controls, age-verification mechanisms, effective content moderation, and transparent child protection policies.

Beyond regulation, the Authority has invested in sustained public awareness and empowerment initiatives since 2011. These include campaigns such as “Be the CoP” for parents and teachers, and “Huwezi Tucheza, Tuko Cyber Smart” for young people, alongside Safer Internet Day activities, school outreach programs, cybersecurity boot camps, and nationwide awareness campaigns.