Janet Othero

Practice Areas

Janet Othero advises on the regulatory and governance frameworks that shape digital financial services in Kenya. Her work covers PSP, DCP and VASP licensing, payments compliance, digital lending governance, reporting frameworks, regulatory interpretation, data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence governance. She is known for her clarity, practicality and ability to translate complex regulatory expectations into actionable steps for clients.

Janet works closely with investors, payment companies, digital lenders, virtual asset platforms, banks, mobile money operators and global technology entrants. She supports clients from the initial licensing and approval stage through to ongoing compliance, regulatory engagement and operational design.

Her regulatory leadership forms one pillar of Cavendrys’ broader Technology, Telecoms, Data, FinTech, IP and Innovation practice. She works alongside Partner Catherine Kariuki Mulika, who leads the firm’s commercial transactions, technology contracting, digital infrastructure and innovation strategy work. This integrated structure allows clients to receive end to end support across commercial, transactional and regulatory matters

Professional Memberships

Law Society of Kenya

Certified Information Privacy Manager (IAPP)

Certified Data Protection Officer

Work Highlights

Technology M&A and Corporate Structuring

Janet advised a leading technology infrastructure provider on a full share transfer as part of a group restructuring exercise. She also led a multi-jurisdictional intellectual property protection strategy for a financial institution expanding operations across nine African jurisdictions.

Regulatory and Dispute Resolution

Janet successfully initiated and won a data protection claim before the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) against a London-listed multinational and a Kenyan-listed entity, securing regulatory enforcement in favour of her client. She represented a global transport technology company in a regulatory dispute and data protection audit proceedings and provided regulatory guidance to a global online marketplace on data protection compliance and licensing engagement with Kenyan authorities.

Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure

She advised a telecoms infrastructure company on contractual arrangements, advertising compliance and employment structuring. Janet also provided legal support in negotiations for core banking infrastructure for a major financial institution, including drafting service-level agreements and managing vendor engagements.

Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity

Janet advised a global education provider on breach response, regulatory engagement and risk mitigation strategies. She provided compliance and marketing structuring advice to a European technology company on data protection in targeted digital marketing campaigns. Additionally, she conducted data protection advisory, regulatory audit support and compliance documentation for a leading global fintech, ensuring adherence to Kenyan privacy regulations.

FinTech, Digital Banking and Payments

Janet advised a digital lending platform on market entry and licensing as a Digital Credit Provider, managing regulatory approvals, operational structuring and full compliance documentation. She also provided corporate governance and operational compliance support to ensure alignment with fintech regulatory requirements. Janet negotiated and structured fintech vendor contracts for a major pan-African bank, facilitating seamless integration of digital banking solutions.

Regulatory and Public Sector Advisory

She provided legal support to a development agency on a regulatory initiative assisting Kenya’s Data Protection Authority (ODPC) in drafting compliance guidelines for SMEs. Janet advised on intellectual property protection for a media-backed initiative, ensuring journalists’ investigative work was legally safeguarded prior to publication. She also supported a global fintech firm in obtaining regulatory approvals from the Kenya Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), ensuring compliance with Kenya’s gaming laws for fintech-related operations and provided broader regulatory engagement and compliance advisory.

Training and Compliance Advisory

Janet regularly delivers training programmes for corporates and government entities on data protection, ICT contracting and regulatory compliance best practices.

Personal

Janet is the Managing Partner at Cavendrys and a seasoned legal advisor known for guiding fintechs, multinationals, and government-linked entities through complex regulatory, transactional, and operational frameworks across Kenya and East Africa.

With over 14 years of experience, she is consistently ranked as a leading lawyer in Kenya by Chambers Global for Fintech and Telecommunications, Legal 500, and was a finalist in the Law Society of Kenya Awards (2022) for emerging practice leadership.

Janet is particularly sought after for her expertise in data protection compliance, including audit implementation, impact assessments, regulatory filings, and privacy frameworks aligned with Kenya’s Data Protection Act and GDPR. As a Certified Information Privacy Manager (IAPP), EU GDPR Practitioner, and Certified Data Protection Officer, she brings deep regulatory insight to high-stakes compliance matters across fintech, telecoms, and digital platforms.

She also leads the firm’s Real Estate, Infrastructure & Financing for the Digital Economy practice, advising on structuring, ESG alignment, construction and land use, regulatory licensing, and contract strategy for digital infrastructure, data centers, and public-private smart housing initiatives.

Her clients include financial institutions, telecoms, digital lenders, regional regulators, development partners, and donor-funded programs, who rely on her to deliver legal clarity, regulatory risk mitigation, and sustainable transaction outcomes.

With a firm grasp of compliance systems, regulatory expectations, and institutional processes, Janet delivers practical, structured legal solutions that keep organizations aligned, secure, and ready to grow.

Languages Spoken

English

Kiswahili