After the national cohesion watchdog told the platform seven days to adhere to regulations on hate speech or face suspension, Kenya's ICT minister said on Monday that the country has no intention of shutting down Facebook, which is owned by Meta (META.O).
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) charged Facebook on Friday with violating Kenya's laws and constitution for failing to take action against hate speech and incitement on the website before the country's elections on August 9. View More
According to Joe Mucheru, the minister for information, communication, and technology, "We do not have a plan to shut down any of these platforms." We value press freedom, whether it is in (conventional) or social media.
He repeated the interior minister Fred Matiangi, who over the weekend criticised the NCIC of making rash judgments and assured that the platform will not be shut down in his remarks.
"Given that they lack the authority to censor anyone, they (NCIC) ought to have had extensive consultations. No one is licenced by them, "A loteru stated.
When it issued its ultimatum, the NCIC stated that it was conferring with the Kenyan agency that oversees the industry, the Communication Authority of Kenya, and that if Facebook did not comply, it would be recommended that operations be suspended.
A business spokeswoman told Reuters that Meta has taken "extensive steps" to screen out hate speech and provocative material and is stepping up those efforts before the election. Mucheru concurred, noting that the site had removed 37,000 postings containing hate speech throughout the campaign.
Supporters of the two front-runners for the presidency, longtime opposition figure Raila Odinga and vice president William Ruto, have used social media platforms to promote their candidates, urge people to back them, and lay blame on the other side for a variety of wrongdoings.
In previous elections, some of Kenya's 45 tribes have engaged in violence against one another, but Mucheru claimed that this election is different and that the nation is now experiencing peace and tranquilly despite the increased political activity.
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