Parliament seeks views of the public on Data Protection Bill.

 Members of the Parliamentary Committee on ICT led by Bumula MP Mwambu Mabonga address the public in Kisumu when they sought their views on the Data Protection Bill, 2019.The Bill seeks to secure Personal Data of every Kenyan-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

  By Dickson Odhiambo.

August 24, 2019.

Parliament seeks views of the public  on Data Protection Bill.

Members of the Public are now asked to give their views on a Bill that will ensure that their data is protected.

Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communication Technology says it is currently collecting the views of the Members of the public on a Bill known as Data Protection Bill, 2019.

Addressing the press in Kisumu where they sought the views from members of the public in Kisumu Central Constituency, the Committee Team Leader Mwambu Mabonga said the committee is currently moving around different parts of the country to seek the views of the public on the bill.

He says the Government has come up with the Bill and the Committee has now come out to visit the public in various parts of the country to get the views of the public as enshrined in the constitution on the issue of Public Participation.

He says the Bill will deal with issue of giving out information on Personal Data and how such information will be protected.

“We are going round the country so as to collect the views of the public on the Data protection bill as envisaged in our 2010 constitution,” he said.

He says once the Bill becomes a law after Parliament pass it and assented by the President then the information the public will be giving in regarding their data will be secure.

Mabonga who is the Member of Parliament for Bumula says the information the public gives is very imporotant and must be secure.

He says a lot of views have been collected from the public, adding that they are professional one.

He says the committee still has like three weeks to wind up collecting the views of the public, adding that the public still have enough time to submit their views to the committee in regard to the said Bill.

“We need input of every Kenyan including even views from the media fraternity on this particular Bill,” he adds.

Kuria East Member of Parliament Marwa Kitayama says the bill is very important for all Kenyans and they should give their views before it is taken back to Parliament for debate and passage.

He says it will protect the data from wrong usage, adding that data protection should not hinder national development.

Uriri Member of Parliament Mark Nyamita has urged the public to come out in large numbers so as to give their views to the Parliamentary Committee on ICT.

He says the committee will go into a retreat so as to come up with a report which will be tabled before the Parliament for debate.

Some of the Content of the Data Protection Bill, 2019 include the establishment of the office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Registration of Data Controllers and Processors, Condition for Transfer of Personal Data outside Kenya, Miscellaneous provisions that include offenses of unlawful disclosure of personal data, general penalty, codes, Guidelines and certification.

Section 72 {1} of the Data Protection Bill, 2019 says "any data controller who , without lawful excuse discloses personal data in any manner that is incompatible with the purpose for which such data has been collected commits an offense".

Section 2 also states about the same scenario in section one but this applies to the Data Processors. 

ENDS: