This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On November 5, 2019, Ezekiel Mutua, the chairman of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), announced a shift in his stance on popular music group Ethic.
Initially, Mutua had called for the arrest of the group over their song Tarimbo, but he has since taken a different approach.
Instead of pursuing legal action, Mutua has restricted access to Tarimbo on YouTube, making it only available to users who have not activated the platform's 'restricted mode.'
Restricted Mode is an optional setting on YouTube that acts as a filter for content that may not be suitable for certain audiences.
Google has confirmed that Tarimbo by Ethic and Vitamin U by Timmy Tdat are not available on YouTube to users with restricted mode turned on.
Mutua emphasized the importance of protecting children from explicit content, urging parents to be responsible and support campaigns to safeguard children's exposure to harmful content.
He also appealed to Kenyan artists to create content that inspires positive messages rather than promoting obscenity.
As for his board, Mutua stated that they will support artists who create meaningful content while dealing firmly with those who break the law.
However, Timmy T Dat has since pulled down his Vitamin U video from YouTube.
