GeraCompliance in Kenya 2026 — DPA 2019 and ODPC Obligations for SMEs

The Kenyan regulatory landscape

• Data Protection Act 2019 — the primary framework, mirroring GDPR in structure.
• Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) — the regulator; registration required for data controllers and processors above the prescribed turnover threshold.
• Data Protection (General) Regulations 2021 — detail on DPIAs, complaints, notifications.
• Data Protection (Registration of Data Controllers and Data Processors) Regulations 2021 — registration tiers.
• Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018 — cybercrime, intersects with incident response.

Who must register with the ODPC

Generally, data controllers and processors with an annual turnover above KSh 5 million or handling personal data at scale (for example, financial, health, employment, or data of children) must register with the ODPC. Certain sectors — health, education, telecoms, finance, political parties — are specifically called out.

Fines and exposure

The DPA 2019 provides for administrative fines of up to KSh 5 million or 1% of annual turnover, whichever is lower, for serious breaches. Criminal penalties can reach KSh 3 million or ten years' imprisonment under section 72 of the Act. Civil claims from data subjects are also possible.

What GeraCompliance gives you

• ODPC registration wizard with pre-filled templates
• Kenya-specific privacy notice and consent templates (English + Kiswahili)
• DPIA workflow aligned to ODPC Guidance Notes
• Record of Processing Activities (RoPA) manager
• Cross-border transfer checks (adequacy, SCCs, binding corporate rules)
• Breach notification workflow (72-hour clock)
• Employee awareness training (short CPD-style modules)

Pricing in KSh

• Starter (SMEs < 25 staff): KSh 3,500/month
• Growth: KSh 9,500/month
• Regulated sector (finance/health): KSh 25,000/month with dedicated DPO hours
• One-off ODPC registration assistance: KSh 15,000

Competitive landscape

Kenyan law firms (Bowmans, ALN Kenya, Anjarwalla & Khanna) offer bespoke DPO services; OneTrust and TrustArc serve the enterprise segment globally. GeraCompliance's positioning: self-serve toolkit priced for SMEs, in KSh with M-Pesa billing, with optional escalation to a panel of Kenyan privacy counsel.

Related Gera products for Kenya

• GeraGuard in Kenya — browser-side privacy controls for Kenyan users.
• GeraCash in Kenya — CBK and POCAMLA-aware KYC tooling.
• GeraJobs in Kenya — employer templates aligned with DPA 2019.