Last updated: 14 October 2026
1. Who we are
Iam254 is a non-partisan civic and voter-education movement for young Kenyans. We decide how your personal data on iam254.com is used, so under Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 we are its data controller.
We do not support any political party or candidate, and we keep personal data the same way. We never give, sell or show your data to any party, candidate, campaign or government body, except where a Kenyan law or court order requires it.
Contact us about privacy at info@iam254.com.
2. What we collect
You can read everything on iam254.com without giving us your name or email. We collect personal data only in the cases below.
| When | What we collect |
|---|---|
| You subscribe to updates (/subscribe/) | Your email address, your first name if you give it, the date you signed up and the form you used |
| You comment on an article | Your name, email address, comment, IP address and browser details. Your email is never shown publicly. |
| You browse the site | Pages visited, time on page, device and browser type, approximate location (city or region) and how you reached us, through Google Analytics |
| Any visit | Our host’s server logs: IP address, date and time, page requested and browser type |
| You use The Podium quizzes or the payslip calculator | Nothing is sent to us. Your quiz progress is saved only in your own browser (see section 5), and calculator figures stay on your device. |
We do not ask for or keep your ID number, voter registration details, polling station, phone number, or which party or candidate you support. When you check your registration, you do it on IEBC’s own website, not ours.
3. Why we use it, and on what legal basis
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis (Data Protection Act, 2019, s. 30) |
|---|---|---|
| Send you the Iam254 newsletter: new explainers, voter reminders and IEBC dates | Email, first name | Your consent, given when you subscribe. You can withdraw it at any time. |
| Publish and moderate comments | Name, email, comment, IP address | Your consent when you post, and our legitimate interest in keeping discussion safe and free of spam |
| Understand which pages help people, so we can improve them | Analytics data | Your consent, given through the cookie banner |
| Keep the site secure and working, and block spam | Server logs, IP address | Our legitimate interest, and our legal obligations |
What we never do
- We never use your data to guess, record or target your political views. Political opinion is sensitive personal data under the Act, and we do not collect it.
- We never sell or rent your data, or share it with any party, candidate, campaign or political advertiser.
- We never use your data for automated decisions about you, or for profiling.
4. Who handles data for us
A few companies process data on our behalf, under contracts that bind them to use it only for us. They are our data processors.
| Company | What they do for us | Data they handle |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Hosts the website and its caching and content-delivery network; runs Hostinger Reach, our newsletter tool | Server logs; subscriber email and first name |
| Cloudflare | Blocks spam and bot sign-ups on the subscribe form | IP address and browser signals at sign-up |
| Google (Google Analytics 4) | Measures site visits, only if you accept analytics cookies | Analytics data (section 2) |
| KaziBora Digital Ltd | Builds and maintains the website for us | May see stored data while doing technical work |
Transfers outside Kenya. Some of these companies store data on servers outside Kenya, including in the EU and the United States. We only use providers that give appropriate safeguards, as sections 48 to 50 of the Act require.
5. Cookies and storage on your device
Cookies and browser storage are small pieces of data saved in your browser. We use these:
| Name | Set by | What it does | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
iam254_consent |
Iam254 | Remembers whether you accepted or declined analytics cookies | 180 days |
_ga, _ga_CY49QYSG5J |
Google Analytics | Tells one visit from another, so we can count visitors. Only set if you choose Accept. | Up to 2 years |
comment_author_* |
WordPress | Remembers your name and email for your next comment, only if you tick the box | 1 year |
| Podium progress (browser storage) | Iam254 | Saves your quiz progress and level on your own device. It is never sent to us. | Until you clear your browser data |
Your choice. On your first visit, a banner asks whether you accept analytics cookies. Google Analytics sets no cookies unless you choose Accept. You can change your choice at any time: Cookie settings.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking analytics cookies does not stop the site working. To opt out of Google Analytics on every site, use Google’s opt-out add-on.
6. How long we keep it, and how we protect it
| Data | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Newsletter subscription | Until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only your email address, marked as unsubscribed, so we never email you again. Ask us and we will delete it completely. |
| Comments | While the article is online. Your IP address is stored with the comment for spam control. |
| Google Analytics data | 14 months, then Google deletes it automatically |
| Server logs | For a short period set by our host, for security and troubleshooting |
Security. The whole site runs over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. Only a small number of named administrators can see subscriber or comment data, and each has a personal login. We keep regular backups. If a breach puts your data at risk, we will tell the Data Commissioner within 72 hours and tell you without delay, as section 43 of the Act requires.
7. Your rights
Section 26 of the Act and related sections give you the right to:
- Be told how your data is used. This policy does that.
- See the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct data that is wrong or out of date.
- Have it deleted when we no longer need it, or when you withdraw consent.
- Object to our use of it, including for analytics.
- Receive a copy in a common electronic format, or have it sent to someone else.
- Withdraw consent at any time. Every newsletter has an unsubscribe link, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
To use any of these rights, email info@iam254.com. We may ask you to confirm your identity first. We will reply within the time limits in the Data Protection (General) Regulations, 2021, and we never charge for a reasonable request.
If you are not happy with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
8. Young people, changes and contact
Under 18s. Anyone can read Iam254, and civic education is for everyone. But we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18 without a parent’s or guardian’s consent, as section 33 of the Act requires. If you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian before you subscribe or comment. If we learn we hold a child’s data without that consent, we will delete it.
Changes to this policy. If we change how we use your data, we will update this page and the date at the top. If the change is significant, we will also email subscribers.
Contact. Iam254, info@iam254.com.
Last updated: 14 October 2026