A stern warning has been issued to Kenyans against the continued leaking of phone numbers belonging to political leaders especially Members of Parliament (MPs).
From last week, some Kenyans online have been sharing numbers of MPs, urging that Kenyans call and text them in a sustained push against the Finance Bill, 2024.
Some daring Kenyans even shared President William Ruto’s phone number.
That trend will however, seemingly come to a stop after the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), in a statement issued on Wednesday warned that such actions are against the law.
ODPC warned that perpetrators could face legal action.
“The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has established that there has been a recent trend of consolidating and sharing of personal information (names, telephone numbers, location and details of family members) of a certain category of citizens through social media platforms,” reads the statement.
“This practice has been happening without the affected citizens’ consent contrary to the provisions of Article 31 of the Constitution of Kenya, the Data Protection Act, 2019 and its attendant regulations.”
“In view of the foregoing, the Office wishes to advise members of public to refrain from further sharing of personal information which infringes on individuals’ rights to privacy,” it adds.
Some MPs have publicly lamented over the barrage of random text messages and phone calls they received, after their phone numbers were leaked online.
As a deterrent before further action is instituted, the Data Protection Commissioner urged any member of the public whose privacy has been violated, to file a complaint with the commission.
The ‘Call your MP’ bid has been gaining momentum as Kenyans protest against what they say is the punitive Finance Bill, 2024.