Welcome to the second edition of our 2025 Technology and Human Rights digest. This quarter, Amnesty International Kenya continued to lead bold, rights-based advocacy on digital justice, data protection, and economic fairness. From challenging retrogressive laws to empowering communities and amplifying youth voices, we’re building a digital future rooted in equity, transparency, and inclusion.
This year’s Digital Rights Essay Competition brought together over 1,000 young changemakers from 45 Human Rights Friendly Schools, each sharing their bold vision for a safer, more inclusive, and rights-respecting digital world. Under the theme “The Internet We Want,” these essays explored how governments, tech companies, and communities can work together to build a better online future for all.
The ODPC’s draft Guidance Note on the Processing of Children’s Data is a significant step towards protecting children’s privacy in the digital age. While the document demonstrates several strengths that provide a strong starting point for safeguarding children’s data, it also highlights critical areas that require further refinement to align more closely with international best practices and ensure robust, comprehensive protection.
Nairobi, 6 May 2025: Amnesty International Kenya welcomes the High Court’s decision unequivocally declaring Worldcoin’s operations in Kenya illegal and order to delete all biometric data collected unlawfully. This judgment marks a significant milestone in the protection of data privacy and digital rights in Kenya. It affirms and sends a message to other corporate and state agencies that Kenyans’ personal data cannot be commodified under the guise of innovation.
Despite making significant progress in improving the right to health over the last 10 years, both Somalia and Zambia continue to face the triple challenges of climate change, corruption, and unsustainable debt, all of which have undermined adequate health financing. This webinar will further explore how progressive taxes could generate resources for the realisation of the right to health.
March 2025Call for Applications
The East Africa Community (EAC) Data Governance Conference will bring together professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to shape the future of data governance in the region.
As Kenya marks five years since the enactment of the Data Protection Act (DPA), it’s time to reflect on the successes, challenges, and the future of data protection in our rapidly evolving digital landscape. The recent DPA@5 event highlighted key achievements, lessons learned, and the urgent need for continued action to safeguard privacy rights in the age of digital innovation.
Join us for the inaugural screening of “The Scars Of Discrimination”, a compelling short documentary that delves into the harsh realities of intersectional discrimination in Kenya. This film brings to light the experiences of individuals like Peninah Kilunja, a seamstress in Makueni facing rejection due to albinism, and Mohammed Malicha, a young man from Mathare profiled because of his Muslim identity.
The enactment of Kenya’s Data Protection Act in 2019 marked a significant milestone, establishing a legislative foundation for data privacy and protection in the country. This Act emerged from years of advocacy and reform, reflecting a commitment to aligning with international data governance standards and protecting the right to privacy as technology advances. As Kenya’s digital landscape rapidly expands—spanning sectors like fintech, digital identity, and e-commerce—the need for robust data protection frameworks has become more critical than ever.
In two months, Kenya’s data protection law turns five. Indefatigable advocate and Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah’s 2019 petition challenging the constitutionality of the Data Protection Act (DPA) comes for mention next Wednesday. Given the intense competition to grab Kenya’s lucrative data landscape and repeated personal data breaches, is this petition in the national public interest?