A Nairobi businessman, Hatim Mohamed Tahir, embroiled in a data breach case, has made a controversial request – a media blackout on his trial.

Tahir, who is accused of unlawfully disclosing personal information to a lawyer, claims media coverage has subjected him to "humiliation."

The request came during a recent mention of the case at the Milimani Law Courts.

Magistrate R.M. Ndombi, however, directed Tahir's lawyer, Duncan Okatch, to file a formal application for the media ban.

A ruling on the application is expected on July 29th.

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Tahir is charged with disclosing personal data belonging to Rose Friedman and a minor, to lawyer Lynn Nganga, allegedly without authorization.

The data breach is believed to be connected to a civil case Nganga is handling.

This case highlights Kenya's growing focus on data privacy. Tahir's hefty bail of Sh300,000 underscores the potential seriousness of the charges.

The case is also likely to test the boundaries laid out in Sections 72(b) and 73 of the Data Protection Act (2018), which specify how personal information must be handled.

These sections define the rights of individuals whose data is collected (data subjects) and the obligations of those who control or process that data (data controllers and processors).

The court is expected to set hearing dates in the coming weeks, with a decision on the media ban due later this month.