Lobby group, Amnesty International-Kenya has called for investigations over the recent revelation that a section of political parties might illegally have acquired personal data during their recruitment process.
To the dismay of many, some who have never registered for a political party, their names and other identification details are listed under membership of a certain parties-not even the son for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s son, Raila junior who is listed as an Amani National Congress (ANC), was spared.
In a statement, Amnesty International-Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton said called on the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to commence investigations into “complaints brought against the Office
of the Registrar of Political Parties and political parties by members of the public.”
He added that, “Political parties and all data controllers are obligated by the Data Protection Act to collect personal data directly from data subjects. Further, unequivocal, free, specific, and informed consent must always be obtained prior to any processing of personal data. Political parties should therefore take necessary steps to ensure compliance with data protection laws.”
The principles and obligations of personal data protection require data controllers and processors to ensure that personal data is accurate and kept up to date, with reasonable steps being taken to ensure that inaccurate personal data is erased or rectified without delay.
“The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties is thus duty bound by the Data Protection Act, 2019 to proactively ensure that personal data in the Integrated Political Parties Management System (IPPMS) is accurate,” the lobby group said in a statement.