Residents propose harsh punishment for those who leak data

Residents of Kakamega have proposed stringent regulations to be put in place to guide the processors and controllers of private data.
Speaking during a public participation forum on the Data Protection Bill 2019 at the Kakamega town social hall on Friday, they complained that some institutions entrusted with personal data were releasing it without the owners’ consent.
They accused among others public registration bureaus, banks, telecoms companies and employers of sharing data under their custody.
One Douglas Dindi complained that he was surprised after checking his political party membership using the IEBC code that he was a member of Maendeleo Chap Chap yet he was not in any way associated with it.
Dindi wondered how the party officials got his personal details in order to register him and proposed for punitive action against those involved.
The case was similar to Sifuma Nachango who said he had been enlisted as a Party of National Unity member without his knowledge.
Nelly Khakasa took issue with betting firms that keep on sending her messages on her phone requesting her to gamble and yet she has never registered with them.
“Sometimes I receive short texts telling me that I won certain amounts of money all of which are false because I am not a gambler,” she said.
John Shivachi suggested that the proposed Bill restricts the data processors and controllers against using private data under their custody beyond the intended purpose.
He stated that those individuals and entities that violate the regulations be subjected to heavy fines or sentences.
By Sammy Mwibanda