Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has revealed that the government has reached out to TikTok, expressing dissatisfaction with their compliance with Kenyan laws.
Speaking before the Public Petitions Committee on Thursday, the CS highlighted that the company behind TikTok should respond to the letter
Kindiki stated that failure to do so may lead to administrative action by the ministry.
The CS went further and said that it would be premature to ban TikTok in Kenya without taking into account the perspectives of the owners and potential impacts on users.
“I don’t think we’re in a position to declare the dangers outweigh the benefits. It’s a bit premature. We should work out a program where we have a policy that is evidence-based to assess whether the risks are more prominent than the benefits,” Kindiki added.
The CS mentioned that a thorough analysis is necessary to assess the risks and benefits before considering such a drastic measure as a local ban on the platform.
“What we’re doing right now is a procedural requirement by law. Whatever the measures the government will take is administrative action and there’s a procedure including listening to those affected,” he added.
Last year, a petitioner called on Members of Parliament to ban the use of TikTok saying it is a contributor to erosion of cultural and religious morals in the society.
The Executive Officer of Bridget Connect Consultancy Bob Ndolo in a petition to the National Assembly, called on MPs to move with speed and ban the use of TikTok in the country as it is exposing young people to explicit sexual content.
The petitioner decried that while the use of the application has gained popularity among the youth, the content being shared on the platform is inappropriate thus promoting violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language, and offensive behaviours which is a serious threat to cultural and religious values.
A day after the petition, President William Ruto said that inappropriate or offensive content will be expunged from short-form video platform TikTok.
This was after Ruto held a virtual meeting with the platform’s chief executive officer Shou Zi Chew.
During the meeting, it was agreed that TikTok would work with the government in reviewing and monitoring its content.
The move, Ruto said, will ensure that content on the platform adheres to agreed guidelines.
“This new development means that inappropriate or offensive content will be expunged from the platform,” he said.
TikTok CEO Zi Chew committed to ensuring that content is moderated to fit community standards.
He also agreed to set up a Kenyan office to coordinate its operations in the country and across the African continent.
“He pledged to hire more Kenyans to work for the platform,” a communication from State House said.
