#FICHA
UCHI

Know Your Data,
Protect Your Rights

#FichaUchi is a multi-phase data protection sensitisation campaign run by the Open Institute. The campaign educates citizens in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania on their data privacy rights, what the Data Protection Act means for them, and how to protect their personal information both online and offline. The campaign uses digital outreach, community radio, focus group discussions, local influencers, and relatable Swahili-language content to reach citizens where they are — including a character, Mudata, who walks through everyday Kenyan life to show how personal data is collected and why it matters.

In 2019, Kenya enacted its Data Protection Act. Yet by 2020, an Amnesty International opinion poll found that 54% of Kenyans were unaware of their right to privacy, and 90% did not know the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner even existed. Citizens, particularly youth, lacked the awareness to question how their data is collected, stored, and used. Without understanding the concept of data itself, citizens could not exercise the rights the law grants them. A similar awareness gap exists across the region. #FichaUchi was designed to close this gap: demystifying data protection, making it relatable, and empowering citizens to act.

54%

of Kenyans were unaware of their right to privacy,

90%

were unaware of the existence of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner

Scale & Reach

14,517,803

Total Citizens Reached

Digital and offline sensitisation on data privacy; simplified data protection concepts for youth and general audiences

Localised Campaign

Across 9 Kenyan counties

Community engagements in 9 counties, with community radio talk shows, focus group discussions and local influencers

Regional scale

Pilot Phase in Tanzania and Uganda

Customised content in relatable languages reaching over 1 million in 2 months

Call to action

Join us in
this cause

There are several ways to partner with us on #FichaUchi:

Fund a campaign phase — the design, production and running of an edition, from digital content and radio shows to focus groups and community engagement
Contribute in kind, whether that’s expertise in data protection law, content production, community radio or digital outreach.
For partners thinking bigger, we’d welcome the chance to co-design for scale with our team, building the long-term partnerships, training frameworks and community networks to make data literacy a permanent part of civic life across East Africa.