Gov't Will Not Shut Down the Internet During 2022 Elections, Matiang'i Declares

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i says the government will not shut down the internet during next year’s general elections despite a worrying trend of abuse and misuse of social media.

Matiang’i described Kenya as a mature and strong democracy, saying the country cannot resort to such extreme measures.

"We're facing an election that is going to demonstrate even our greater maturity. We're going to be fine. We're not going to resort to other tactics such as shutting down the internet. That one we left a long time ago. Our reputation the world over is that we're a strong democracy," CS Matiang'i said.

“You have seen the madness around. Governments, because they are not as strong, confident, and democratic as ours, resort to shutting down the internet. Kenya is not going to do that."

He stated that the government has embarked on a crackdown on misuse of social media, warning that cyberbullies and cybercriminals will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

“Our challenge number one is the misuse and abuse of social media. That’s what we’re going to deal with. I mean, you have seen the madness around. Some of us have gone to animal levels, you wake up in the morning and post things which hurt others and you don’t care,” he stated.

On Thursday, the government launched the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee (NC4) whose mandate is to enforce the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, 2018.

The team is made up of representatives from the Kenya Defense Forces, the National Police Service, the National Intelligence Service, and the Communications Authority of Kenya, among others.

“With the operationalization of the NC4 that will oversee detection, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrimes, the days of digital terrorists are numbered,” said Matiang’i.