Data theft equals property theft, PS Isaboke warns marketers
Sci & Tech
By
David Njaaga
| Jul 02, 2026
Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke has urged marketers to embrace artificial intelligence responsibly, warning that consumer data has become a strategic asset whose misuse amounts to theft.
Isaboke spoke as chief guest at the 2026 Marketing Society of Kenya Marketers Summit in Nairobi, where he said data now drives innovation, informs business decisions and shapes service delivery across sectors.
"Data is now so valuable. If anyone else came and just took our data, and when they commercialised it, or started using it to inform decisions, they've literally come and stolen your stock. They've literally come and stolen your property," he said.
The Principal Secretary said data increasingly shapes decisions in agriculture, healthcare and commerce, a trend he said justified the creation of the Office of Data Protection.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, established under the Data Protection Act 2019 and led by Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, has stepped up enforcement this year. It warned businesses on June 4 that entities handling personal data risk fines of up to Sh5 million for failing to register as data handlers or processors.
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Isaboke challenged marketers to apply AI and consumer insights toward solving real problems rather than merely automating processes.
"If you use that properly, and start applying it in your own space, and also applying it in solutions, you are actually making a contribution to the AI era, which is really about using data to solve issues and eventually deliver solutions," he explained.
The summit ran under the theme "The Intelligent Marketer: The Changing Role of Marketing in the AI Era" and drew marketers, innovators and business leaders to examine AI's impact on Kenya's digital economy.
Marketing Society of Kenya Chairperson Zuhura Odhiambo said AI has moved from a future concept to a present-day force reshaping how businesses understand consumers, build brands and create value.
"The theme this year, The Intelligent Marketer: The Changing Role of Marketing in the AI Era, could not be timelier. AI is no longer a concept of the future, it is transforming how we understand consumers, build brands, deliver customer experiences and create business value," she noted.
Odhiambo added that despite the technological shift, marketing's core focus on the consumer remains unchanged, even as behaviour is now tracked and trended through data.
"The fundamentals remain. You're still about the consumer, consumer preferences, consumer psychometrics and consumer behaviour, but consumer behaviour is now tracked, documented and obviously trended," she observed.
The summit comes as Kenya pushes its digital transformation agenda, with AI and data governance set to play a central role in driving innovation and economic growth.