Kevin Anyango was having an ordinary day at work when his tweet sparked a conversation he will never forget.
Anyango is
an international development expert, a manager with Laureus Sport for Good Foundation based in London and contributor to the Huffington Post and LinkedIn.
During a political engagement with Twitter users last week, Anyango stepped on the nerves of a politician who dismissed him as a "lobotomised cartel surrogate".
The post was shared
21 times on Facebook alone and the comments were as serious as its effects, bringing to the fore the questioning of cyber bullying in Kenya.
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One Twitter user said the politician blocked him when he aired views he did not like.
Other consequences that have come with the uncontrolled liberty to write messages on social media are
threats of killings, suicides and hate and war mongering.
Just a week ago, a woman named
Brenda Akinyi committed suicide by jumping in front of a car on Waiyaki Way in Nairobi. Media reports indicated Akinyi had been having relationship problems and had suffered sexual abuse by a police officer.
Her friend said that having lost hope, the woman sought help in Facebook groups whose members accused her of lying. Reports indicated readers' comments were one of the reasons she decided to end her life.
Popular gospel singer Jimmy Gait cried on television while explaining his case of cyber bullying. Members of the public often make fun of him when he releases songs, some saying they lack originality.
But he told his host that he does his research before releasing the songs and that his aim is to make music that particular age groups can easily listen to.
Anyango said in an interview that the problem is not differing with internet users.
"The issue is when one person wants to make another feel less important, effectively making them lose their self esteem," he said.
Activist Kevin Anyango.
Along with friends, Kevin has created a to help sensitise Kenyans on the devastating effects of bullying others on the virtual space. The page carries discussions on how to fight cyber bullying and free up the virtual space for wholesome conversations.
Members of the public have been writing messages on Twitter via
.
Cyber bullying happens through information exchange without physical contact between a person and the victim.
Direct physical harm is therefore almost non-existent but in its place is emotional, psychological and reputational abuse. This does not eliminate physical harm as seen in the case of Akinyi, who committed suicide.
The country is not only suffering the consequences of cyber bullying but also those of cyber attacks.
According to the United Nations, cyber attacks involve
illegal behaviour targeting security of computer systems and data processed by them. The attacks take forms including hacking, malware installation, phishing and denial of services.
Where personal attacks are concerned, a
hacker could
gain data to track a victim and commit offences such as rape and murder.
Information Technology, Security and Assurance, an organisation that tracks internet security, said in a June 2016 report that 3,000 cyber-crime related incidences are reported in Kenya every month.
The country is not only losing lives, but also losing billions of shillings to cyber crime criminals. A Deloitte report released in February stated that up to Sh17.7 billion was lost to cyber crime in 2016 alone. The report ranked Kenya as the 69th most vulnerable country in the Global Threat Index.
The Computer and Cyber Crimes Law, which was approved in April, is expected to monitor, control and get rid of cyber crimes which have been on the rise in the country.
The law criminalises cyber offenses such as computer fraud, cyber-stalking, child pornography and unauthorized access to computerised systems.
It will link
legislation and investigation of cyber crimes with technological and law tools for tangible evidence that will help with prosecution.
Offenders who knowingly access computer systems without authorisation now face stringent penalties, including a fine of up to Sh5 million or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, depending on the magnitude of the crime.