NAIROBI, Kenya, April 24 – Today, Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, MBS officially inaugurated a two-day training session on Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), targeting 120 Data Protection Officers (DPOs) from both the public and private sectors.
In her address, she commended the increasing number and attendance of DPOs in various organizations, highlighting their crucial role in providing guidance and advice on data protection matters within organizations.
The Data Commisisoner emphasized that DPOs play a significant role in strengthening the data governance framework in organizations, thereby reducing the risks of data breaches and enhancing individuals’ privacy.

“As an Office, we acknowledge DPOs as critical stakeholders, without whom the agenda on data protection within organizations would not be achievable, she encouraged the DPOs to act as watchdogs to ensure organizations’ compliance with data protection laws,” she said.
Furthermore, she revealed the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner’s (ODPC) future plans to establish an academy that would facilitate annual continuous training of DPOs on data protection.
The training will cover key topics such as Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), data breach incident management and privacy program management.
The Data Commissioner encouraged networking and sharing of mutual challenges among the DPOs, while also expressing the ODPC’s openness to feedback for areas of improvement.
The training was co-organized with the Mastercard Foundation and Amnesty International.
In his remarks, Victor Ndlovu, the Director of Business Development at Mastercard Foundation, reiterated the importance of such trainings, especially in the era of rapid digital transformation driven by data across the country.
Aurelia Miheso, the Program Officer for Human Rights and Technology at Amnesty International, expressed confidence that the training would significantly equip DPOs with the necessary knowledge to enhance data governance within their organisations.