The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), in partnership with Huawei Kenya and the Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy, conducted a four-day Data Privacy and Data Protection training for 200 youth in Wajir County to mark Safer Internet Day.

• The program, held from February 9-12, focused on empowering girls and young women, who face significant barriers to digital access.
• Trainer at the ODPC, Vincent Musyoki, emphasized that the collaboration ensured every Kenyan understood how to safeguard personal data and seek redress.
• The initiative aimed to bridge the digital divide in frontier counties and equip youth with critical skills for Kenya's growing digital economy.

A recent investigation by Techish Kenya debunks the common "Fuliza excuse" used to justify withholding erroneously sent M-PESA funds. Despite claims that overdrafts prevent reversals, evidence confirms that Safaricom's system automatically unwinds transactions, even if Fuliza has debited the money.

• A specific case involved a transaction of KES 1,500, which was successfully reversed within minutes.
• When a reversal occurs, the system re-issues the overdraft loan (OD loan), returning the recipient to their previous state of indebtedness.
• The article emphasizes that withholding mistakenly transferred funds is a crime, with Kenyan courts having jailed and fined individuals for similar offenses.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is developing a new, centralized, cloud-based ID-to-SIM Card Checker, aiming to replace the current fragmented system.

• The new system will allow users to check all SIM cards registered under their ID across all mobile network operators (MNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) with a single query.
• The CA envisions a unified SMS short code where users send their ID number, and the system queries databases of Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom, Equitel, and Faiba simultaneously, returning a single, grouped report.
• The tender closes on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, with the winning bidder having 6 months for project completion, potentially launching the service by late 2026.