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Day 1: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
MORNING PLENARY
Opening & Welcome
Welcome remarks:
- Irungu Houghton, Executive Director, Amnesty International Kenya,
- Al Kags, Executive Director, Open Institute
Venue: Main hall
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
KEYNOTE
Keynote and Opening of Conference:
Theme of Conference: “Navigating Duality in Data Governance: Innovation and Accountability in East Africa”
Speaker, Ms. Immaculate Kassait, Data Commissioner, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Kenya
Venue: Main hall
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Panel
Plenary Panel 1: Governing in the Grey – Can East Africa Balance Tech Growth with Rights?
Speakers:
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Kenya – Data Commissioner
- Personal Data Protection Commission of Tanzania – Director General
- The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA) – Executive Director
- Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) – Head of Data Protection
- Data Privacy and Governance Society of Kenya (DPGSK) – Chairperson
- SDG Kenya Forum – Executive Director
Moderator: Irungu Houghton, Executive Director, Amnesty International Kenya
Venue: Main hall
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
TEA Break
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Breakout Session 1
Track 1: Data Ownership and Custodianship Data Sovereignty
Title: Whose Data Counts? Participation, Power, and Inclusive Governance
Lead Organization: GPSDD
Venue: Room 1
Track 3: Data Infrastructure (Technical Foundations & Systems)
Title: Developing Kenya’s Data Governance Architecture/Framework: Process, Partnerships, and Lessons
Lead Organization: Ministry of ICT and the Data Economy – Kenya
Venue: Room 2
Track 5: Economics & Value of Data (Monetization & Shared Benefit)
Title: Integrating Evidence and Practice for Data Governance and Accountability in Africa
Lead Organization: Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA)
Venue: Room 3
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Beyond the Black Box: Safeguarding Regional Data Systems
Lead Organization: UNESCO
Venue: Room 1
Track 5: Economics & Value of Data (Monetization & Shared Benefit)
Title: Operationalizing Urban Data Governance in Eastern Africa through Data
Use Cases Approach: An example of Emerging Cities in Uganda
Lead Organisation: Toro Development Network
Venue: Room 2
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Digital Dignity: Putting People at the Centre of Humanitarian Data in East Africa
Lead Organization: MSF Eastern Africa
Venue: Room 3
13:00 PM - 14:00 PM
Lunch Break
14:00 PM - 14:30 PM
3 Lightning talks (Main hall)
Presentation 1
Pitch: 2026 Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference
Organization: GPSDD
Presentation 2
Track 3: Data Infrastructure (Technical Foundations & Systems)
Title: Navigating Duality in Agri Data Governance: Lessons from Ethiopia Livestock Information System
Organization: Development Gateway
Presentation 3
Track 5: Economics & Value of Data (Monetization & Shared Benefit)
Title: Cross-Border & Regional Governance: Interoperability Is Political, Not Technical
Organization: Sintal Africa
14:45 PM - 15:45 PM
Breakout Session 2
Track 2: Sovereignty and Cross-Border Governance
Title: Safeguarding Rights in Synthetic Media in EA: Ethical AI, Personal Data, and Creative Ownership
Lead Organization: Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT), Strathmore University
Venue: Room 1
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: When Data Decides Who Gets Care?
Lead Organization: The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA)
Venue: Room 2
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: When Data Harms Defenders: Rebuilding Accountability in East Africa’s Data Systems
Lead Organization: Defenders Protection Initiative
Venue: Room 3
16:00 PM - 16:45 PM
PLENARY SESSION
Plenary Panel 2: Building Trust – What Will it Take to Govern Data for All?
Private sector panel
Speakers:
- Google – Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Eastern Africa at Google
- Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) – Head of Data Protection
- Safaricom Ltd – Head of Business Intelligence and Data Governance
- Smart Applications Group – Head of Information Risk and Cyber Security
- University of Nairobi – Lecturer/Research Fellow, Faculty of Business and Management Sciences.
Moderator: TBC
Venue: Main hall
16.45 PM - 17:00 PM
Synthesis of Day 1 insights.
17:00 PM
Tea Break
Day 2: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
8:30 AM- 9:00 AM
MORNING PLENARY
Welcome remarks:
- Irungu Houghton, Executive Director, Amnesty International Kenya,
- Al Kags, Executive Director, Open Institute
Venue: Main hall
9:00 AM - 9.30 AM
Keynote
Topic: Before the Dataset: The Human Story Behind Governance.
Dr Melissa Omino, Executive Director, Centre for Intellectual Property and IT Law
(Strathmore University)
Venue: Main hall
9:35 AM - 10:15 AM
Panel
Plenary Panel 3: The “Value and Vulnerability” of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
Speakers:
- GIZ Kenya, Digital Transformation Centre, Technical Advisor – Govstack
- Institute of Economic Affairs, Executive Director
- Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy (MICDE) Kenya; Director ICT
- Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO), Uganda: Manager Public Relations and International Affairs
- Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), Program & Policy Lead
Moderator: Dr. Margaret Nyambura, Board Member, DPI Safeguards Advisory Board – United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET)
Venue: Main hall
10:15 AM- 10:45 AM
TEA Break
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Breakout Session 3
Track 2: Sovereignty and Cross-Border Governance
Title: Data Protection Litigation: Courts, Regulators, and the Future of Data Governance
Lead Organizations: Data Privacy and Governance Society of Kenya
Venue: Room 1
Track 3: Data Infrastructure (Technical Foundations & Systems)
Title: Testing before Scaling: Sandboxes for Data Governance in Digital Public Infrastructure
Lead Organization: Datasphere Initiative
Venue: Room 2
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Bridging the Gap: A Subnational Dialogue on Collaborative Data Governance for Equitable Development in Kenya’s Counties
Lead Organizations: Kilifi County Gov’t, Homabay Gov’t, KNBS
Venue: Room 3
12:00 PM- 12:50 PM
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Privacy-Enhancing Frameworks and Technologies
Lead Organization: African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Venue: Room 1
Track 1: Data Ownership and Custodianship Data Sovereignty
Title: Promoting Locally Led Awareness on Digital Rights and Data Protection in Western Kenya.
Lead Organization: ICON Data and Learning Labs Africa
Venue: Room 2
Track 2: Sovereignty and Cross-Border Governance
Title: Governance in Practice: Building Integrated, Sovereign, and Accountable Data & AI Systems in Africa
Lead Organization: (CIPIT), Strathmore University, Shapers Youth Network, ICTLC- ICT Legal Consulting International
Venue: Room 3
13:00 PM - 14:00 PM
Lunch Break
14:00 PM - 14:30 PM
3 Lightning talks (Main hall)
Presentation 1
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Human-in-the-loop verification with AI during emergencies like elections
Organization: Linda Ngari (Media)
Presentation 2
Track 3: Data Infrastructure (Technical Foundations & Systems)
Title:
Organization: ORPP
Presentation 3
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Critical Analysis of AI-Driven Promotion Systems in East African Universities
Organization: Makerere University
14:45 PM- 15:45 PM
Breakout Session 4
Track 4: Ethics, Algorithms, and Accountability
Title: Voices from the Ground: A People-Centered Dialogue on Ethics, Evidence, and Safety in East Africa’s Data Ecosystem
Lead Organizations: StoryZangu Hub, Rural Women in Street Health
Venue: Room 3
Track 1: Data Ownership and Custodianship Data Sovereignty
Title: Community voices in data governance
Lead Organization: Provident CBO
Venue: Room 1
16:00 PM- 16:45 PM
PLENARY SESSION
Plenary Panel 4: The Way Forward – A Regional Action Plan for Responsible Data Speakers:
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Kenya – Data Commissioner
- Personal Data Protection Commission of Tanzania – Director General
- Association of Startup and SMEs Enablers of Kenya (ASSEK), Chief Executive Officer
- Kenya Witness Protection Agency, Chief Executive
- ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa, Representative
- UNESCO, Representative
- The Institute for Development Data, Executive Director
Moderator: Al Kags, Executive Director, The Open Institute
Venue: Main hall
16.45 PM - 17.15 PM
Presentation of Conference Outcomes.
Closing remarks from hosts:
- Irungu Houghton, Executive Director, Amnesty International Kenya,
- Al Kags, Executive Director, Open Institute