Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa has denied allegations that the telecommunications company provided police with information regarding the whereabouts of participants in the recent Gen Z protests. Speaking on Wednesday, Ndegwa clarified that such information can only be shared with law enforcement if there is a court order in place.
Ndegwa emphasized that Safaricom adheres to the Data Privacy Act, asserting that the company has mechanisms to protect user information. “There was a perception that potentially we (Safaricom) were giving out people’s information during protests. We’ve created an ecosystem that allows us to control what we have, and we follow the Data Privacy Act of Kenya,” he stated.
He further explained, “We would only release information if a court asks us to because there are many times where by law we would be required to release information.” Ndegwa acknowledged that security agencies around the world have their own methods for gathering such information and do not necessarily depend on telecommunications companies.
“Security agencies don’t have to rely on us; they have their own tools around the world. They have their own way of picking up information and certainly not from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)… Security agencies wouldn’t wait for court because most of their information is required on an urgent basis,” he added.
His comments came in response to claims made during the protests that Safaricom was supplying user data to the police. These allegations arose amid the arrests of individuals suspected of leading the protests, some of whom were reportedly pursued and detained by individuals believed to be plainclothes police officers, disappearing for days before being released. The situation led some activists to call for a boycott of Safaricom products.
