Lydia Sitienei Nominated As Kenya’s Second Data Commissioner

President William Ruto has nominated Lydia Sitienei Chelagat, the Communications Authority of Kenya’s Director of Legal Services and Corporation Secretary, as the country’s second Data Commissioner.

The nomination was announced in a press release from the Executive Office of the President. It followed a recommendation by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and has been forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration and approval under the Data Protection Act, Cap. 411C.

If approved, Sitienei will succeed Immaculate Kassait, Kenya’s inaugural Data Commissioner, whose single six-year term is coming to an end.

The Data Commissioner heads the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), the national regulator responsible for safeguarding personal data and privacy. The office oversees how personal data is processed and enforces compliance with the Data Protection Act across public and private institutions.

Sitienei has served at the Communications Authority since 1 December 2023, where her work has placed her at the centre of telecoms licensing, spectrum disputes and digital infrastructure oversight.

Before joining the Authority, she spent more than six years at the state power transmission company KETRACO. She joined in August 2017 to run commercial compliance and secretariat legal affairs, and later served as company secretary and General Manager of Legal Services from July 2021 to December 2023.

Earlier, she spent five and a half years at CPF Financial Services (LAPTRUST), where she was Group Company Secretary and Legal Services Manager from January 2013 to July 2017, after a year as Senior Legal Officer.

She trained in law at the University of Buckingham and in public policy at Strathmore Business School.

The Communications Authority welcomed the nomination, describing it as recognition of Ms. Sitienei’s professional standing and her contribution to legal, governance and regulatory practice in Kenya. The Authority said it also underscores its own role in supporting national digital governance, data protection and regulatory excellence.