Kindiki Unmasks Faces Behind Worldcoin Activities in Kenya

The Kenyan government has identified the people responsible for Worldcoin's operations in the country even as it disclosed the firm is not authorised to operate in Kenya. 

The announcement came shortly after the Interior CS Kithure Kindiki suspended the company's activities in Kenya to investigate their legality. During a parliamentary hearing on Thursday, Kindiki stated that the cryptocurrency firm is not registered as a legal entity in Kenya and that they have been under interrogation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations since Wednesday. 

"Preliminary investigations reveal that the entity has hired a company in Kenya called Sense Marketing to do the data capture for them in the country. The local representatives of Worldcoin are Mr Emmanuel Otieno who is described to be in charge of operations and Ms Rael Mwende who is described as the Country Manager," he said.

According to Kindiki, the investigation will also include any persons of interest who may be outside Kenya. The purpose of the investigation is to determine the authenticity and legality of Worldcoin's activities, the safety and protection of the data collected, and how the collectors intend to use the data. Manyatta MP John Mukunji had asked Kindiki to clarify the source of the money used to pay participants. 

The registration for Worldcoin began on Monday, offering cryptocurrency tokens worth Sh7,000 to participants who allowed the scanning of their eyes. However, the exercise was halted on Wednesday due to concerns over data protection. Thousands of Kenyans rushed to the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to receive the free money. Meanwhile, the government is investigating the source of the funds and who stands to benefit from the data collected.