The Interior Ministry of Kenya is considering limiting the use of TikTok by government officials, in a bid to protect sensitive data and the security of Kenyans.
The Secretary of the Interior Cabinet, Kithure Kindiki, revealed in a meeting that the National Security Council (NSC) is battling threats associated with several social media platforms, mainly TikTok.
Kenya has the highest TikTok usage rate in the world, according to a 2023 report, with 54% using the app for general purposes, while about 29% use it for news.
Marwa Gitayama, Kuria East Member of Parliament (MP), who chaired the meeting, questioned whether there is an existing policy on the use of TikTok among government officials.
Kindiki clarified that while there is no policy, the NSC may look to enforce a limit on the use of the application.
While the NSC is still deliberating on the next step, Kindiki stated that the outcome will determine whether the policy limits the use of TikTok by government officials and people of certain ages.
In August 2023, Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy announced that it was reviewing the laws governing social media users.
This is not the first time the country has considered banning TikTok either. Also, in August 2023, CEO of Briget Connect Consultancy, Bob Ndolo, submitted a petition asking to ban TikTok in Kenya.
The petitioner cited foul language, explicit content, hate speech, and data insecurity, among other issues. He added that the app will affect students’ academic performance.
In the same month, TikTok announced a collaboration with the Kenyan government to moderate content on its platform to reflect community standards. There was also a Nairobi office in view at the time.
While Kenya is considering banning or restricting TikTok, other African countries, like Somalia and Senegal, have already banned the social media app. Egypt and Uganda have considered banning the application as well.
As the application faces global scrutiny, TikTok recently collaborated with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to raise awareness about online safety among African youths and parents.
