IEBC ghosts return to haunt Data Commissioner nominee Kassait during vetting by MPs

 

The ghosts of the hotly contested 2017 presidential election returned to haunt Data Commissioner nominee Immaculate Kassait when she appeared before MPs for vetting on Wednesday.

Kassait who was until her appointment the IEBC director of voter education was pressed on her suitability for the job given the baggage of 2017 polls where the commission refused to yield to the Supreme Court’s direction on the opening of servers.

Mathare MP Antony Oluoch put the nominee to the task to explain how she will win the confidence of Kenyans following the events that surrounded IEBC.

Oluoch said the events had eroded public trust in the institution which she was part of.

“Chapter Six of the Constitution did not contemplate the issue of suitability to be pegged only on actual conviction. It talks about confidence you bring to that office,” Oluoch said.

“I want to ask you, in light of the mishandling of data at IEBC including elections data during presidential elections and data which the Supreme Court said should be given and was never given. With that background, can you look at Kenyans and say you have confidence and that we can trust you with the data?”

Kassait on her part said she will ensure security of the personal data of Kenyans and protect the same from any abuse from whichever quarter.

The Office of the Data Commissioner is mandated with the huge task of maintaining the register of data controllers and processors, over-sighting data processing and it also has investigatory powers on any misuse of data.

Kassait was nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta last week and upon approval by the House will be Kenya’s first Data Commissioner.

Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi had tasked the Departmental Committee on Communication, Information, and Innovation to undertake approval hearings for Kassait before tabling the report.