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A fresh storm is looming between the Government of Kenya and global giant internet firm Google over 'dangerous' content published on the latter's YouTube channel.
The Government has raised alarm over the proliferation of hate speech published on social media channels including Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, with relevant authorities contemplating on ways to tame the vitriol.
"We have seen a lot of activity online during the campaign season and I can tell you that almost every day, there is someone calling me to take down some piece of inciting content," explains Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary of Information, Communication and Technology.
The Cabinet Secretary singled out a video channel, 'The Fifth Estate', uploaded on YouTube channel reportedly owned by renowned Kenyan political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi as the latest example.
Mucheru called on Google to take down the video. The ‘Fifth Estate’ currently has over 185,600 views on Facebook. The page recently spread speculation on the sudden death of the late Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery.
"Did Nkaissery really die or did they force him to die?" Mutahi Ngunyi asks rhetorically in the nine-minute video before adding; "in my view, Nkaissery was assassinated."
This comes even as campaigns for the August 8 polls heighten, as aspirants take to the internet to popularize their agenda in a bid to win votes.