Cheryl Akinyi

Cheryl Akinyi is a lawyer by training and an experienced governance and human rights defender based in Kenya. She has several years’ experience defending civic space and promoting just and inclusive societies in Africa as an advocate, strategist, and coalition builder working at the intersection of democratic governance and technology. Cheryl is constantly seeking opportunities to answer questions about how to reinforce democratic governance and human rights in digital societies. Her current areas of research include surveillance, governance of global digital platforms, digital authoritarianism, political disinformation, and free expression. Cheryl works at Open Society Africa, where she leads the information democracy portfolio. She has extensive experience working with stakeholders at local, regional, and international levels. Her focus is on information democracy as a tool for realizing social justice. She holds Master’s degrees from Strathmore University and the University of Nairobi.