Data Protection Commissioner Immaculate Kassait Appeared Before Assembly Committee Over Data Protection Role in Elections
Immaculate Kassait addressing the committee members
By PSCU
Data Protection Commissioner Immaculate Kassait yesterday appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), chaired by Omondi Caroli, to provide detailed clarifications on data protection in the context of elections.
In her presentation, Ms. Kassait outlined the regulatory oversight exercised by her office over the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), registered political parties, and third-party service providers involved in handling personal electoral data.
She emphasized the mandatory registration and compliance obligations required under the Data Protection Act, 2019, highlighting ongoing reviews of applications from IEBC and political parties.
Ms. Kassait further detailed audits conducted on key entities such as the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and the upcoming IEBC audit, underscoring the commitment to ensuring adherence to data protection principles.
Addressing complaints management, she reported a 97% resolution rate on over 8,000 complaints received, with most relating to digital lenders and political party registrations. She noted that no enforcement measures against political parties have been necessary following ORPP’s intervention.
On data breaches, Ms. Kassait confirmed that no notifications have been received from IEBC or other electoral stakeholders to date.
She also shared ongoing efforts in public awareness, including the publication of guidance notes on electoral data processing and capacity-building sessions for ORPP staff.
Highlighting challenges, Ms. Kassait cited the rapid evolution of election technologies and the need for updated legal frameworks, improved resources, and enhanced inter-agency collaboration to safeguard voter data.
Additionally, she made recommendations for legislative updates, policy enhancements and administrative support, underscoring the need for investment in technical capacity to strengthen the protection of electoral data ahead of upcoming elections.
The Committee engaged Ms. Kassait in a robust discussion, reflecting the growing importance of data protection in maintaining election integrity and upholding citizens’ constitutional privacy rights.
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