Safaricom under fire as Senators demand answers on alleged data breaches
Safaricom is facing a probe from Kenyan lawmakers who allege that the telecommunications giant has breached subscriber privacy and enabled state surveillance. Accusations emerged during a heated Senate session this week, with the lawmakers questioning Safaricom's potential role in recent incidents of citizen abductions. The debate centres on whether the company shares subscriber data with government agencies without consent. Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, who raised the issue in the Senate, called on Safaricom to clarify whether it has an agreement with the government for data sharing and, if so, whether subscribers are informed.
... The Senate's ICT Committee... is now tasked with reviewing Safaricom's data management practices... "Data privacy is a life-and-death matter... Safaricom is accused of aiding state agents in tracking and abducting citizens, yet no response has been given," Omtatah said.
... Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei also criticised Safaricom, stating that the company's practices potentially infringe on constitutional privacy rights. "What Safaricom is doing is illegal and unconstitutional, and it should be punished," he said.