Privacy Policy

Last updated: 14 November 2026.

The short version

• You can read Sasa News without an account, and we don’t set tracking or advertising cookies.
• We only collect what you choose to send us: your email for the newsletter, or a message or story tip through our forms.
• We use it to reply to you, send what you asked for and run the site. We never sell it.
• You can ask us to see, correct or delete your information at any time.

Who we are

Sasa News (“we”, “us”) is a digital news and culture publication based in Nairobi, Kenya, with our newsroom on Galana Road, Kilimani. We are the data controller for personal information collected through this website. You can reach us about privacy through our contact page or by email at hi@sasanews.com.

What we collect and why

When you just read the site

• Cookies. Simply browsing Sasa News does not place cookies on your device. If you vote in a poll, we set one cookie (sn_voter) holding a random code, so we can show you the results and count one vote per browser. It contains nothing about who you are and expires after a year; you can delete it at any time in your browser settings. Staff who sign in to manage the site receive WordPress’s standard login cookies.
• Poll votes. For each vote we store the answer, the time and a scrambled (hashed) version of that random cookie code. We never store your name, IP address or anything else that identifies you, and the results we share or download are totals and times only.
• Story view counts. We count how many times each story is read, as a total per story. These counts are not linked to you.
• Server logs. Like any website, our hosting provider keeps technical logs (such as IP address, browser type and the page requested) for security and to keep the site running. They are kept only as long as needed for those purposes, and we don’t use them to track individual readers.
• Saved stories. If you use “Save story” or “Save this plan”, the list is kept only in your own browser’s storage. It is never sent to us, and clearing your browser data removes it.

When you sign up for The Daily Drop

We collect your email address, and your first name and topic choices if you give them, to send you the newsletter. We store these details in our own website database, along with the date you signed up, which form you used and the consent wording you agreed to. We do not store your IP address. When we send the newsletter, we may pass your email, name and topics to the email service that delivers it, which acts on our behalf and may only use them to send our emails. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and you can leave at any time.

When you contact us or send a story

Our contact form and story form collect what you type: usually your name, email address and message, plus the location and any link you share for a story tip. We use this only to read, reply to and follow up on your message.

• Messages are stored privately in our website’s admin area, visible only to Sasa News staff, and a copy is emailed to our team.
• To stop spam, we briefly keep a scrambled (hashed) version of your IP address for one hour to limit how many messages can be sent. We never store your IP address in readable form with your message.
• If you ask us to keep your name out of a story, we will.

Services from other companies

• Fonts. Our typeface (Inter) is served from our own website, so opening a page does not connect your browser to Google or any other font service.
• Gravatar. Profile pictures for our contributors are loaded from Gravatar (Automattic). See Automattic’s privacy policy.
• Embedded videos. Some stories, especially in Watch, may include videos from platforms such as YouTube. Those platforms may set their own cookies when you play a video and follow their own privacy policies.
• Opportunity and event links. When you follow a link to an organiser’s or employer’s page, their own privacy policy applies.

We do not currently use analytics or advertising trackers. If that changes, we will update this page first and ask for your consent where the law requires it.

Our legal basis

Under the Data Protection Act, 2019 we process your information because you consented (for example, ticking the box on a form or signing up for the newsletter), or because we have a legitimate interest in running and protecting the site. You can withdraw consent at any time.

How long we keep it

• Newsletter details: until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only your email address and the date you left, so we don’t email you again by mistake. Ask us and we’ll delete it completely.
• Contact messages and story tips: up to 12 months after we last reply, unless they become part of a published story or an open correction.
• Anti-spam IP hashes: one hour. For polls, ten minutes.

Sharing your information

We share personal information only with the service providers who help us run Sasa News (such as our hosting and email providers), under agreements that protect it, or where the law requires us to. We never sell or rent your details. Some providers may store data outside Kenya; where they do, we rely on safeguards permitted by the Data Protection Act.

Your rights

Under Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 you have the right to:

• be told how your information is used (this page);
• see the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct anything inaccurate;
• ask us to delete your information;
• object to, or withdraw consent for, how we use it.

To use any of these rights, contact us. We will reply within the time the law sets. If you are not happy with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

Children

Sasa News is written for young adults. Our newsletter and forms are meant for people aged 18 and over. If you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian before sending us your details.

Security

We protect the site with secure connections (HTTPS), limited staff access and regular updates. No website is perfectly secure, so please don’t send passwords, ID numbers or bank details through our forms.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your information, we will update this page and the date at the top. For significant changes, we will also tell newsletter subscribers.

See also our Terms.