This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
On September 25, 2019, a Member of Parliament in Kenya proposed a bill that aims to censor social media platforms in the country.
The Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Bill, 2019, drafted by Malava MP Malulu Injendi, seeks to compel Kenyans to obtain approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) before creating Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
Under the proposed law, social media administrators would be required to notify CA of their intention to set up groups and ensure that users adhere to strict content guidelines.
Admins would be personally accountable for any offending content posted on their platforms, facing fines of up to Sh250,000 or a one-year jail term for non-compliance.
According to the bill, social media platforms include online publishing and discussion, media sharing, blogging, social networking, document and data sharing repositories, social media applications, social bookmarking, and widgets.
Additionally, admins would be required to conduct due diligence to verify the age of all group members and remove anyone who posts offending content.
MP Malulu also wants CA to register all bloggers in the country and develop a bloggers' code of conduct, with penalties for those who fail to comply.
