President William Ruto has nominated Lydia Sitienei, currently Director of Legal Services and Corporation Secretary at the Communications Authority of Kenya, to serve as the country’s second Data Commissioner, following a recommendation by the Public Service Commission. The nomination, announced by the Executive Office of the President, has been submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval under the Data Protection Act, Cap 411C.
Should Parliament approve her appointment, Sitienei will succeed Immaculate Kassait, the inaugural Data Commissioner, whose six-year tenure is nearing its end, and will take charge of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC). The agency oversees the processing of personal data, safeguards individuals’ privacy and enforces data protection regulations across both the public and private sectors.
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The nomination comes as Kenya continues to strengthen its digital governance framework and reinforce the protection of personal information, with the ODPC’s oversight ensuring that organisations which collect and handle personal data comply with the country’s data protection laws.
