PSA 2022 SPEAKERS

National Personal Data Protection Director

Ms. Stella Alibateese

Ms. Stella Alibateese is the National Personal Data Protection Director in the Personal Data Protection Office.  The Personal Data Protection office is an independent office set up under National Information Technology Authority, Uganda (NITA-U) to be responsible for personal data protection in Uganda.

She is responsible for the management and operationalisation of the Personal Data Protection Office and is the national focal point for monitoring and assurance of matters related to the implementation of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.

She is a practising advocate with 25 years’ experience with the bulk of it being on policy and regulatory matters in the Public Sector. 10 years of this experience has been in the ICT sector where she has made tremendous contribution to regulation of the ICT sector.

Prior to this appointment, she worked as the Director, Regulation and Legal Services at the National Information Technology Authority, Uganda (NITA-U) where she led teams in the development of Laws (including the Data Protection and Privacy Act 2019) and Legal Instruments for regulation of the ICT sector with a focus on the development of Electronic Government in Uganda.  She has also over the years provided excellent in house legal counsel services with a proactive approach.

Stella also worked with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for 10 years where she rose to the position of Deputy Corporation Secretary/Ag.Corporation Secretary, at Messrs Hunter and Greig Advocates and Tropical Bank Limited.

She holds a Master of Laws (University of London UK), Post graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management (Uganda Management Institute), Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Law Development Centre, Kampala) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (Makerere University).

She is a GIAC Certified Professional: Law of Data Security and Investigations (GLEG), and an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager. She is an advocate and Commissioner for Oaths and a member of various professional associations.

Stella is passionate about issues affecting youth and women and believes that through ICT, they can be empowered to develop and harness their talents to overcome the various challenges they face. She is a mentor with the Girls for Girls Program in Uganda and a Rotarian.

Country: Uganda

Head of Legal Services

Tsitsi Mariwo

 Tsitsi Mariwo is a seasoned legal expert with vast experience spanning over 20 years in public, private and non-governmental sectors. She is a holder of Masters and Bachelor of Laws honours degrees from the University of Zimbabwe. She is certified in several professional fields which include Information Communication Technology (ICT) Regulation, Policy and Practice with Stockholm and Wits University, Intellectual Property law with University of South Africa and International Trade Law with the University Institute of European Studies.

Tsitsi has practised as legal advisor, consultant and academic lecturer both locally and internationally. She is a member of the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) and by extension Southern Africa Development Community Lawyers Association (SADCLA).

Tsitsi is the current Head of Legal Services at the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) and sits on the board of CBZ Holdings subsidiary, Red Sphere Finance. She is also a champion of community development and youth mentorship, serving on several committees and participating in development activities at the grassroots level.

Country: Zimbabwe

Data Protection Commissioner

Drudeisha Madhub

Mrs Drudeisha Madhub was appointed Data Protection Commissioner of the Data Protection Office of Mauritius since August 2007. Prior to her appointment, she was Senior State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Office for six and a half years.

She is a respected member of various international networks such as: Association Francophone des Autorités de Protection des Données Personelles (AFAPDP), Réseau Africain des Autorités de Protection des Données Personelles (RAAPDP), Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN), Common Thread Network (CTN), the Council of Europe and United Nations Global Pulse. She was appointed as data protection and human rights expert by Interpol and a member of the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files from 2011 to 2018 with the specific function of judging data protection and human rights issues in Interpol’s cases.

Mrs Madhub was appointed UN Emeritus expert, joining the UN Global Pulse Data Advisory Group in 2014 to provide expert advice on data protection.

Moreover, she has published various articles in international journals and guidelines on data protection which are available on the website of the Data Protection Office at the following URL: http://dataprotection.govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/Publications.aspx.

Drudeisha is passionate about her work and has cultivated an inner steady source of motivation which constantly drives her to do the best.

Country: Republic of Mauritius

Legal and ICT Policy Officer

Nompilo Simanje

Nompilo Simanje has been at the heart of campaigns  that promote the right to privacy, free expression and access to information both online and offline. She is an expert on  the intersection of technology and law and also technology and human rights in Southern Africa. Ms. Simanje is currently working as the Legal and ICT Policy officer at the Media Institute of Southern Africa, where she has led advocacy campaigns, research interventions, capacity building workshops  and strategic litigation aimed at fostering the promotion of fundamental rights.

Solicitor

Victoria Oloni

Victoria Oloni is an innovative lawyer with significant interest and experience in Digital Economy, Data Protection, Cybersecurity and general intersections of Technology and Law. She aspires to be a thought leader in Data Protection and Digital economy. This has driven her towards participating in policy research  and making several publications on topical issues within these fields. Victoria Oloni is a Solicitor at Detail Commercial Solicitors, a corporate commercial law firm in Lagos Nigeria.

Country: Nigeria

Digital Law and Rights Advisor

Amanda Manyame

Amanda Manyame is Equality Now’s Digital Law and Rights Advisor. Amanda works at the intersection of technology and law and provides digital rights and legal expertise around Equality Now’s campaigns to end online sexual exploitation and abuse and to make the digital world a safe, secure, and equal place for women and girls. As a legal advisor, Amanda actively works with civil society, tech companies, and policy influencers to provide an understanding of the different considerations that influence tech policy and digital rights. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Master of Laws degree in Information and Communications law.

Country: South Africa

Tech and Migration Researcher

Dr. Keren Weitzberg

Keren Weitzberg is a tech and migration researcher with 15 years of experience in East Africa conducting fieldwork in cross-cultural, multilingual settings. She is also a senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London and a fellow at the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences. Keren works at the intersection of science and technology studies, migration studies, and critical race studies, examining problematics related to mobility, digital identity, biometrics, and fintech. She has been published in a variety of forums, ranging from top academic presses to popular blogs, and has worked closely with a range of civil society organizations, non-profits, and artists. Her interest in biometrics evolved out of research for her first book, ‘We Do Not Have Borders: Greater Somalia and the Predicaments of Belonging in Kenya,’ which examined Somali transnational networks in Kenya. She is now working on two new book projects: ‘Biometrics from the Margins’ looks at Kenya’s fraught history with fingerprinting, which was first introduced by British colonial authorities in the early twentieth century. It examines how those at the physical and metaphorical margins of the nation (including migrants, nomadic populations, refugees, and border communities) are navigating the new world of digital identity. Her second project, ‘The Other Climate Technology: How Biometrics Will Shape Our Post-Carbon Future’ argues that technologies that can administer post-carbon economies will be just as significant as those aimed at transforming energy systems. The Other Climate Technology suggests that digital identity and biometric systems will be key to managing austerity, scarcity, and de-growth in a low-carbon future. Keren’s research has been funded by several US and UK funding bodies, including the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust, the British Institute in Eastern Africa, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Fulbright US Scholar program, The Alan Turing Institute, and UK Research and Innovation.

Country: United Kingdom

Senior Researcher

Patricia Boshe

Dr. Patricia Boshe is a data privacy trainer and consultant. She is a co-founder and co-director of the African Law and Technology Institute (AFRILTI); a research institute focusing on the interrelation between law, technology and society from an interdisciplinary perspective. She has more than 10 years’ experience as a law lecturer in Tanzania. Currently, a senior researcher at the Research Centre for Law and Digitalization at the University of Passau in Germany. Some of her research activities involve assessments and critiques on privacy and data protection in Africa. Her publication record includes a book on data protection, book chapters and over dozen of international referred journal articles, book reviews and practical legal comments.

Country: Germany

Deputy Data Commissioner

Rose Mosero, HSC, FIP

Rose Mosero, HSC, FIP is the Deputy Data Commissioner- Compliance. Rose took this position in July 2022.  However, prior has worked with the Office from December 2020 as a secondee in the capacity of Legal, Policy and Regulatory Advisor and Data Protection Expert.  This secondment was from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs (Kenya), where she served as a Legal, Policy and Regulatory Advisor to the Cabinet Secretary.

Rose served as a member of the Taskforce which developed the recently passed Data Protection Regulations for Kenya and was involved, in her advisory capacity, in the development of the Kenyan Data Protection Act, 2019.

Rose is a dually registered lawyer having been admitted as an Australian Legal Practitioner and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.  Rose is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) from the International Association of Privacy Professionals where she sits on the Advisory Board. Rose is also a Fellow of Information Privacy having been conferred that designation by the International Association of Privacy Professionals in recognition of her expertise in the field of Privacy and Data Protection.

Partner, Nzili & Sumbi Advocates, Nairobi-Kenya

 Mercy Mutemi

Mercy Mutemi is a lawyer based in Nairobi and Kitui counties (Kenya). She handles litigation, legislative interventions, and advocacy in the following areas;-

•  Digital rights litigation;
•  Algorithmic justice litigation; and
•  Human rights in AI litigation

Country: Kenya

Lawyer

 Ariana Issaias

Ariana’s practice areas and experience cover commercial and consumer intellectual property advice, data protection and technology background and regularly advises clients across all of these practice areas.   She has a wealth of experience advising clients on both demand and supply side on a range of commercial agreements including supply of goods/services, e-commerce payment services and platform integration, fintech (including payment services, digital lending, digital banking, cryptoassets and block chain), software licensing and distribution, cloud services, agency and distribution, franchising, licensing, IP exploitation and brand enforcement, and confidentiality.

She assists clients with regulatory and enforcement advice and has worked extensively with clients in business and product transfers and dealing with the applicable registries to record and complete such transfers.  Her specialist knowledge of distribution and licensing frameworks and IP exploitation, both intragroup and external, in technology, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, financial services, hospitality, retail, media, agricultural and service sectors is notable.

Ariana is a key member of our Data Protection Taskforce and has been at the fore of the developments of data protection and privacy in Kenya and has considerable experience in advising both local and international clients. She has written and spoken extensively on topical issues around this area for local and international clients.

Ariana holds a LLB 2:1 (Hons) from the Manchester University and LPC Distinction BPP from the School of Law in London.

Country: Kenya

Data Protection Officer

Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu

Rosemary is a legal professional whose practice focuses on technology, public policy and regulatory affairs.

Rosemary has over 11 years of experience serving legal and policy functions in leading corporations. She holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Nairobi, Post Graduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law and a Diploma in Information Technology.

She is a member of the Law Society of Kenya and serves as a board member at the Kenya Network Information Center (KeNIC), the Association of Fintechs in Kenya (AFIK) and is a trustee at the  Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet).

Rosemary is a recipient of a number of awards including – ILTA 2021 Honoree – Influential Women in Tech, 35 Most Influential Women in Tech (CIO Africa),Top 50 Individuals Leading in Legal Innovation in Africa (Africa Legal Innovation Awards 2020),  Africa’s Leading Women in Legal Innovation (Africa Law Tech).

Rosemary serves as the Data Protection Officer at KCB Group, working to guide the group’s compliance with data protection laws. volunteer at Simbi Foundation where she narrates books for children with the sole purpose of promoting digital literacy and inclusion in Africa.

Country: Kenya

Lawyer, Nubian Rights Forum

Naima Ibrahim

Naima Ibrahim is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She has been in the Human Rights Space for the past 6 years working at Nubian Rights Forum. She was part of the team that took the Kenyan Government to Court when the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) famously known as ‘Huduma Namba’ was introduced in Kenya. She is also the Founder of Nimraj Consultancy which is a Mediation Agency located in Kibra, Nairobi. She is passionate about legal empowerment and helps Kenyans use and shape the law through civic engagement and public participation.

Country: Kenya

Data Protection & Privacy Expert

Brenda Gabantu

Brenda Gabantu is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. A Data Protection &Privacy Expert, ICT Lawyer and KSG Adjunct Lecturer. Having conducted many awareness and capacity building campaigns on Data Protection, she is credited with being a member of the Taskforce that developed the Kenya Data Protection Act and Regulations. She is known for many firsts in the data protection legal framework in Kenya.

Country: Kenya

Human Rights Lawyer

Thobekile Matimbe

Thobekile Matimbe is a human rights lawyer, researcher and social justice activist.  She serves as a Partnerships and Engagements Manager at Paradigm Initiative advocating for digital rights. She has over 10 years legal, advocacy and civic engagement experience with active participation in human rights systems, regional and international coalitions advancing human rights.

Country: Zimbabwe

Certified Information Privacy Manager & Advocate

Mercy Mutindi

Mutindi is a Certified Information Privacy Manager by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, A Certified Data Protection Supervisor, a Certified Privacy Professional, a Certified Vendor Risk Management Expert, Certified Assessment Automation Expert & a Certified Data Mapping Expert , a Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager, an Author and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She has 11+ years’ experience in legal operations, regulatory affairs, privacy compliance & innovation, public policy, government relations and regulatory advisory services.

She has advised a wide range of domestic and international firms active in the Finance, Fintech, Telecoms, Technology, Media, Intellectual Property, Health, FMCG and cyber security Sectors including KCB (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia), National bank of Kenya, Consolidate Bank of Kenya, Eco-Bank, Spire Bank, SBM, DTB Bank, KRA, Safaricom, Google, Liquid Telecom, Microsoft East Africa, Amazon Web Service, Facebook, EABL/Diageo Group, the Ministry of ICT, the ICT Authority, Uber, Radio Africa Group, the Ministry of Health, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nursing Council of Kenya. She has also coordinated cybercrime investigations with local and international law enforcement through collaborations with the DCI, the Communications Authority and the Kenya Cyber Incident Response Team (KE-CIRT).

Country: Kenya

Advocate of the High Court of Kenya

Mugambi Laibuta

PhD Candidate (Wits), LLM (LSE), LLB (Moi), Dip. Law (KSL)

An advocate of the High Court of Kenya. | Legislative Drafter. | Mediator. | Ethics and Sustainability Consultant. |  Monitoring and Evaluation Professional. | PrivacyOps Certified Privacy and Data Protection Specialist.

Country: Kenya

Program Manager

Haretha M. Bulle

With over 10 years’ experience working with marginalised and underserved communities on different capacities. Being a victim of historical marginalisation I have directly been involved in advocacy and human rights activities for the last 3 years. I have spearheaded community movement which led to holding government and humanitarian partners accountable in the face of digital data in humanitarian interventions in North Eastern  Kenya- a case of double registration.

My mission to ensure my community is aware and able to make government responsive to their rights and privileges as Kenyans articulated in the CoK 2010.

She currently serving as the Vice Chairperson of the Creative Economy Taskforce set up  by the Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohamed, to create strategies to guide the Creative economy in Kenya.

Country: Kenya

Policy Analyst

Megan Kathure

Megan Kathure is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, researcher and policy analyst on Data and Internet Governance, Technology law and Cybersecurity.

Moderator: How to effectively achieve compliance as small business in Kenya: Debate and highlights from the AU-EU D4D Hub Podcast.

Senior Program Officer

Chenai Chair

Chenai Chair is the Senior Program Officer – Africa Mradi Innovation – at Mozilla Foundation. She is an expert on the intersection of digital technology and gender. She has built her expertise with extensive experience in work that is focused on understanding the impact of technology in society through research and public policy assessment. Her work draws on principles of feminism in assessing digital technology. She has developed projects focused on privacy, data protection and AI as Mozilla 2019/2020 fellow – available on mydatarights.africa. She also led the research on Women’s Rights Online as the Web Foundation’s gender and digital rights research manager. She has worked on issues of access within the digital divide as a Researcher at Research ICT Africa (RIA). While at RIA, she developed communication strategies to increase public engagement on research as a Communications Manager. She also works as a consultant on research projects focused on digital rights including assessing the state of digital identity in Zimbabwe and developed recommendations for digital rights literacy in Southern Africa. She is currently an Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group Member and a steering committee member for The Center for International Governance Innovation’s work on assessing online Gender-Based Violence. Chenai holds a Masters in Social Science degree focused on Global Studies from the University of Cape Town.

Country: Zimbabwe