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Kenya Targets Social Media ‘Bullies’ in New Crackdown

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4 years ago

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Nairobi — A crackdown against cybercrime and social media bullies has inched closer to reality with the unveiling of the Secretariat to operationalise the relevant law.

The National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NC4) will be tasked with consolidating action on the detection, investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i said the Secretariat will prioritize the misuse of social media which he described as a major threat to national security and integration.

The CS who officiated the launch of the Secretariat at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development said there will be a sustained crackdown against culprits especially in the run up to the General Election.

“As we approach the general elections, our challenge number one is the misuse and abuse of social media,” he said, adding that digital communication and transactions were a growing reality of the public and private sectors and urged all arms of the government to invest commensurately in relevant training.

He noted that the adoption of technology had also seen a steady growth in cybercrime and other digital-driven crimes and challenged the players in law and order sectors including the Judiciary to incorporate digital training within its ranks.

“Nations around the world are pumping resources into research on cybersecurity… Our conflicts are going to move to the Judiciary, and the judges must be capacitated enough to help us resolve them.”

ICT CS Joe Mucheru said the new law was necessary to support the digital economy and called for its stringent application.