Uhuru nominates IEBC official for data protection job

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated electoral agency official Immaculate Kassait for the appointment to the position of Data Commissioner.
  • Speaker Justin Muturi told Parliament that Mr Kenyatta had forwarded the name of the nominee for vetting.
  • Ms Kassait is the current director of voter education, partnerships and communications at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

IEBC Director of Voter Registration and Election Operations Immaculate Kassait is set to become the country’s first Data Commissioner following her nomination by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The President made the announcement in his message to the National Assembly Tuesday.

While conveying the message to the House, Speaker Justin Muturi directed the Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation chaired by Marakwet West MP William Kisang to undertake the approval hearings and table its report to the House within the required timelines.

According to the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, the National Assembly has 21 days from the date the President’s message was communicated to consider the nomination.

The Data Commissioner is a creation of the Data Protection Act, signed into law by President Kenyatta on November 8, 2019. The Act gives effect to Article 31 (c) and (d) of the Constitution, which proclaims the right to privacy.