This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
Kenya is grappling with the dark side of the internet, where youths are being lured into chaos and extremism through cyber misuse.
According to a bill sponsored by Garissa Township MP Aden Duale, forwarding a message depicting pornography or inciting people to chaos could earn you a 25-year jail term or a Sh25 million fine.
The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Bill, 2021, seeks to amend the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act No. 5 of 2018 and provide tougher penalties for cybercrime.
“A person who spreads or possesses pornography in a computer system or on a computer data storage medium; commits an offence and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh20 million or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 25 years, or both,” the bill states.
The bill also aims to regulate online content, particularly pornography, which has been blamed for luring unsuspecting youths to join terror groups and exposing children to moral decadency.
“Unless this is regulated, the lives of innocent Kenyan children shall be exposed to inappropriate sexual content,” Duale warned.
He noted that the age ratings that are adopted and filtered out internationally vary from one country to another and what may be considered morally appropriate in one country may be morally wrong in Kenya.
According to Duale, there is need to regulate what is acceptable accessible content in order to preserve our public morality, cultural and religious values that form the fabric of our country.
He lamented that there has been an increase in unlicensed and extreme religious activities and cults perpetuated by computer misuse, which remain unregulated.
“Sadly, this remain unregulated and as a result crafty person having been preying on the young people to join cults, to believe in weird religious activities and are completely brain washing the youths,” Duale said.
He warned that if the vice remains unchecked, a whole generation of young people will join extremist and cultish religious groups.
Computer and cybercrimes are also being used to lure youths to commit suicide, incidents which have been on the rise recently.
