The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) is preparing to conduct an audit of all digital data managed by the Social Health Authority (SHA) due to growing concerns over data security.
This decision follows an audit that revealed the government does not own the system operating SHA, raising concerns about the safety of Kenyans' personal information.
Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait announced that her office would carry out the audit on the digital health system operated by SHA.
"One of the places we have identified to do an audit is on the digital health information. That one is something we have undertaken as an office to do an audit on," Kassait stated.
''One of the things we have insisted to them is that when it comes to third party, they must get consent. They really must get it from the patient,'' she added.
However, Kassait revealed that the SHA management had reached out to the commission initially, with requests for data protection assessment.
The ODPC had previously conducted the audit; however, at the time, concerns regarding third-party data—information handled by external entities not directly collecting it—were not taken into account.
''They have written to us in the case of data protection assessment which we have assessed and identified the gaps and what we have insisted to them is they must get consent,'' Kassait pointed out.
The statement comes less than 24 hours after President William Ruto insisted that the government would proceed with its plans to have a consortium of companies run the digital health system.
According to him, the decision will enable the government to protect citizen contributions made to SHA.
''We said we are going to have a consortium of technology companies that is going to make sure that no fraudulent claims in SHA and they are going to make sure that the system is not going to be paid for by the government of Kenya,'' Ruto asserted.
''It is going to be a fee-for-service facility that will make sure that we protect citizen contribution. There will be no misuse of public money even if you feel those newspapers,'' he added.
Concerns over the security of Kenyans' digital health data intensified after Controller of Budget Margret Nyakango revealed that the government spent Ksh104.8 billion on the Social Health Authority (SHA) system, despite not owning it.
