Profile

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Technology lawyer with over eight years’ experience advising on technology law, including data protection compliance, across markets in Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Founder of Law Lab Africa, a legal-tech consultancy specialising in technology policy advisory and the development of legal-tech tools. These include bespoke data protection compliance platforms and the Africa Data Protection Enforcement Tracker, a structured, searchable database of African data protection enforcement decisions.

Areas of expertise

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Data protection and privacy law Intellectual property law AI governance Blockchain governance Crypto policy Compliance tooling and legal-tech development Python, JavaScript, full-stack software development

Education

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Stanford Law School – Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD)

Sep 2021 – Sep 2026

Dissertation: ‘Nodal Governance in Decentralized Finance: An Analysis of Off-Chain and On-Chain Governance in the Uniswap Network’

Stanford Law School – Master of the Science of Law (JSM)

Sep 2020 – Jun 2021

Thesis: ‘Data, Digital Identity and Antitrust Law: An Exploratory Study of Facebook’s Novi Wallet’

London School of Economics and Political Science – LL.M., Intellectual Property Law

Sep 2016 – Sep 2018

Dissertation: ‘Leveraging Traditional Knowledge as Prior Art in the Patent System: Challenges and Solutions’

Moringa School – Full Stack Software Development

Sep 2019 – Jul 2020

HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python

Kenya School of Law – Postgraduate Diploma in Law

Jan 2015 – Aug 2016

The Catholic University of Eastern Africa – Bachelor of Laws (LL.B)

May 2011 – Oct 2014

Professional experience

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Law Lab Africa, Nairobi, Kenya | Founder & Principal Consultant

Mar 2019 – Present

Advisory

  • Lead data protection and technology-law engagements across nine African jurisdictions: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Mauritius and Ethiopia.
  • Designed and delivered a data protection compliance platform for a pan-African management training institution, covering breach response, data subject rights, cross-border transfer assessment, vendor due diligence and DPIA workflows across all nine jurisdictions.
  • Advised a cryptocurrency exchange on commercial agreements and compliance across data protection, anti-money laundering and securities law.

Legal-tech products

  • Built and operate the Africa Data Protection Enforcement Tracker, a structured, searchable database of 595 verified enforcement decisions across ten jurisdictions (July 2026).
  • Develop compliance software that converts statutory obligations into guided digital workflows with jurisdiction-specific assessments and scoring.
  • Publish the Data Protection Digest, a bi-weekly regulatory briefing tracking enforcement, legislation and guidance across African jurisdictions.

Research and training

  • Deliver the Founders Compliance Series, practical data protection training for startups at technology hubs.
  • Led intellectual property law workshops at the 2019 African Women in Technology Conference.

Stanford University Cyber Policy Center, Stanford, CA | Research Assistant

Aug 2023 – Dec 2023

Bithub Africa, Nairobi, Kenya | Legal Research Lead

Oct 2018 – Jun 2021
  • Drafted and negotiated partnership contracts with cryptocurrency exchanges and county governments.
  • Prepared research memoranda for Kenya’s Ministry of ICT AI and Blockchain Taskforce on the regulatory implications of AI and blockchain technology.

Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT), Nairobi, Kenya | Research Assistant

Apr 2018 – Sep 2018
  • Prepared research memoranda reviewing the Data Protection Act (2019) submitted to the Senate Committee on ICT.
  • Prepared research memoranda on the regulatory implications of AI and blockchain for the Ministry of ICT’s AI and Blockchain Taskforce.
  • Produced Internet Freedom Concepts explainer videos under Lush Limited’s Digital Fund.

Musyoka Murambi and Associates Advocates, Nairobi, Kenya | Pupil

Mar 2015 – Aug 2016

Chief Magistrates Court of Kenya, Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi | Judicial Intern

May 2013 – Jul 2013

Research experience

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Stanford Existential Risks Initiative (SERI) – Research Fellow

Jun 2021 – Sep 2021

‘Decentralized Identity and Existential Risk: The Privacy and Governance Challenges posed by Decentralized ID Initiatives’

Stellar.org – Researcher

Dec 2017 – Mar 2018

‘Blockchain Primer for Regulators: The Case of the Stellar Network’

Kenya Power and Lighting Company – Research Assistant

Aug 2016

Review of the Access to Information Act (2016), Laws of Kenya

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – Research Assistant

Aug 2015 – Oct 2015

Review of ICRC Somalia Delegation Staff Rules

International Law Development Organization (IDLO) – Research Assistant

Apr 2015 – May 2015

Review of the Public Order Act (Cap 56) and the Official Secrets Act (Cap 187), Laws of Kenya

Professional qualifications

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Advocate of the High Court of Kenya

Admitted Dec 2016

Publications & editorial roles

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Editor, Data Protection Digest, Law Lab Africa (2026). Bi-weekly briefing on data protection enforcement, legislation and regulatory guidance across African jurisdictions.
‘Applying Blockchain to Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Look into the Issues and Opportunities for Arbitrators’, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Kenya Journal, Vol. 7 No. 1 (2019). Co-authored with Dr. Robert Muthuri and Francis M’Onyango.
‘The Legitimacy of Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights’ Claims’, Strathmore Law Review, Vol. 1 No. 1 (2016).
‘Biometric Technology, Elections and Privacy: Investigating Privacy Implications of Biometric Voter Registration in Kenya’s 2017 Election Process’, CIPIT Report. Co-authored with Dr. Robert Muthuri and Francis M’Onyango.
Author of multiple CIPIT Law blog articles on privacy, intellectual property and emerging technology (2014 – 2018).

Working on something at the edge of law and technology? Start with an email.

wanjiku@lawlab.africa