The Story of #FichaUchi
In 2019, Kenya passed its Data Protection Act, which defines data protection and has several provisions that govern its use. The following year, an opinion poll carried out by Amnesty International Kenya found that 54% of Kenyans were unaware of their right to privacy.
We saw the need to create an awareness campaign aimed at building awareness of data protection among Kenyans, to make citizens aware of the Data Protection Act, what citizens’ rights and responsibilities are, and what they can do if their data is misused.
We named the campaign #FichaUchi, a Swahili phrase. which means “hide your nakedness”. The hashtag was carefully chosen so that it was catchy, in the way in which most citizens, particularly the youth, could relate to their data both online and offline. #FichaUchi aims to demystify the Data Protection concept by providing factual, age-appropriate information about Data Protection.
“The youth are unaware of the dangers of exposing their valuable data online. They are also unaware of legislation that empowers them to question how their data is collected. We need to meet them where they are.”
Al Kags, Open Institute
Phase 1: #FichaUchi Goes Digital (2021)
We first spoke to citizens in various counties, finding that:
- People lacked awareness on data and its protection
- People couldn’t define the term “data” (which also means
“internet bundles” colloquially in Kenya) - People were not aware of the Data Protection Act, or The
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
80 Million Reached
Then we simplified data protection concepts for Youths and general audience online, reaching over 80 million digitally.
Phase 2: #FichaUchi 2.0
In the second phase, we decided to extend the campaign
beyond social media, by complementing the social media
campaign with on-the-ground engagement.
How we did it:
- Digital campaign Community radio talk shows in 9 counties
- Focus groups with over 200 people in 9 counties
115 Million Reached
Phase 3: #FichaUchi 3.0
We localized the campaign in Kilifi County, in order to find deeper insights into citizens’ behaviour.
Here’s how we executed it:
- Trained local change-makers who conducted focus group discussions, community sensitisations and radio shows in 6
sub-counties - Distributed knowledge materials in public transport
- Engaged local social media influencers to create simple,
relatable content in local languages
Pilot: #FichaUchi East Africa
As we plan to expand the campaign in East Africa, we tested the campaign through simplified data protection concepts for youth and general audiences in Uganda and Tanzania.
Citizens Reached
195 million
Insights from
3 Countries
Radio Engagements
9 Shows
Why Ficha Uchi?
In 2020, a survey revealed that 54% of Kenyans were unaware of their right to privacy, and an overwhelming 90% did not know about the existence of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
This alarming gap in awareness highlighted the urgent need for an awareness campaign that would educate the public on the then newly-constituted Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which had been ratified after the Data Protection Act came into force in 2019.
“Ficha Uchi,” which means “hide your nudity” in Swahili, was chosen as the campaign’s name to capture attention and convey the importance of protecting one’s personal data.
Why Ficha Uchi?
In 2020, a survey revealed that 54% of Kenyans were unaware of their right to privacy, and an overwhelming 90% did not know about the existence of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
This alarming gap in awareness highlighted the urgent need for an awareness campaign that would educate the public on the then newly-constituted Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which had been ratified after the Data Protection Act came into force in 2019.
“Ficha Uchi,” which means “hide your nudity” in Swahili, was chosen as the campaign’s name to capture attention and convey the importance of protecting one’s personal data.
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