Member Categories: Team

Grace Mutung’u is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and researcher. Her interests include digital policy, with specialization in digital rights, governance, and development. She has been involved in ICT policy development over the past 15 years, and her current research focuses on digital IDs, biometrics, and AI policies in Africa.

Victor Ndede is a lawyer and privacy professional who currently serves Amnesty International Kenya as the Digital Rights Manager. In this role, he provides legal and policy analysis and thought leadership to inform Amnesty International Kenya digital rights programs and campaigns in Kenya. He leads a talented program team working on strengthening data governance in Kenya and East Africa besides working on digital rights for children and young people. He is also experienced in legal and policy research, policy analysis, legislative frameworks engagement and human-rights expert monitoring. He has previously served as the Policy Officer for Amnesty International Kenya.

Dr Melissa Omino is currently the Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) at Strathmore University, where she oversees the research direction of the leading Eastern African AI Policy Hub and Data Governance Policy Centre with a range of funding partners that includes the IDRC, Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Open AIR. Her research direction is focused on utilizing an African lens and a Human Rights lens. Part of the research conducted under Dr Omino’s leadership at CIPIT involved mapping AI applications in Africa as the initial step in answering the question of what determines African AI and the problems it aims to solve in Africa. Dr Omino is also an intellectual property (IP) expert with a research focus on the development and negotiation of IP provisions in international trade agreements by and with Global South countries.  She has served as an Advisory Board member in several African and Global Projects that intersect between AI and IP, including a National AI Strategy Process, and leading the IP Advisory to a global entity funding AI research in Africa.

Edith is the Data Protection Officer in the Office of the Auditor-General. She has 12 years’ experience in legal compliance, litigation, legislative drafting, corporate law and three years data privacy. She has worked in the public sector for over 12 years. She is a trained Arbitrator and a certified  Mediator. She is also a certified Legal Auditor by the Kenya School of Law.

Edith holds a bachelor’s degree in Law, a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, a certificate in forensic investigations. She is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration. She has undertaken several data protection certification programs. She is a founding member of the Data Privacy and Governance Society of Kenya and a member of the Law Society of Kenya.