This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
Kenya: New Bill Seeks To Jail Unlicensed Bloggers ¶
Published on September 27, 2019
A new bill in Kenya's parliament seeks to redefine how bloggers operate and use social media platforms for communication. The bill requires all bloggers to register with the Communications Authority to operate.
The bill, dubbed the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Act, 2019, was presented by the Member of Parliament for Malava constituency in Kakamega county. It defines a blogger as any person who collects, writes, edits, and presents news or news articles on social media platforms or the internet.
According to the bill, bloggers will now be required to apply for a license to establish a social media platform for purposes of communication. The license will be granted to bloggers who meet certain conditions, including having a physical office in the country, registering all users of the social media platform using legal documents, and keeping all user data and submitting it to the Commission when required.
Failure to register and obtain an operating license could result in a fine of approximately 200,000 shillings or a prison term not exceeding one year.
The Communications Authority will be responsible for keeping a register of bloggers in a prescribed manner and developing a bloggers' code of conduct.
