Rosemary Kimwatu Koech, Head of Data Protection at KCB Bank Group, has passed on.
She was widely known across Kenya’s technology, fintech, legal and data protection circles.
Her career spanned nearly two decades across law, public policy, technology, fintech and data protection, with her recent work centered on how organisations collect, process and safeguard personal data.
The circumstances of her death have not been disclosed, and her family has not yet issued a public statement on the cause.
Koech joined KCB Bank Group in June 2022 as Data Protection Officer, moving over from Safaricom PLC, where she had been Public Policy Manager, and was later promoted to Head of Data Protection in June 2023 , taking charge of the Group’s data protection compliance.
Earlier in her career she held senior legal and policy roles at Oxygène Marketing Communications, WayaWaya and MODE. She held a law degree from the University of Nairobi and was an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
Beyond her corporate role, Koech was deeply involved in Kenya’s internet governance and tech policy community.
She served on the board of trustees of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), where she was also Principal of the Kenya School of Internet Governance and chaired the Multistakeholder Advisory Groups for both the Kenya and East Africa Internet Governance Forums. KICTANet — described her as a pillar of the organisation who brought a rare combination of warmth, conviction, humour and dedication to the public good , mourning what it called her untimely passing.
She is remembered as a trailblazer in Kenya’s digital rights and data protection landscape, whose influence extended across the continent.
