ICT CS Joe Mucheru has said that the country will not shut down the internet nor suspend Facebook ahead of General Elections.
He was responding to claims that the National Integration and Cohesion Commission (NCIC) had threatened to close down Facebook in Kenya over a hate speech breach.
The CS assured Kenyans that the media, including Social Media, will continue to operate without any interference.
"Media, including social media, will continue to enjoy PRESS FREEDOM in Kenya. Not clear what legal framework NCIC plans to use to suspend Facebook. Govt is on record. We are NOT shutting down the Internet."
It is alleged that NCIC had written to Meta, the company that owns Facebook, wanting a response of alleged little or no controls in moderating content on the platform(Facebook) ahead of August polls.
A report handed over to the Commission by Global Witness revealed Facebook's failure to detect ads with hate speech messages.
Investigations by Global Witness also revealed that Facebook lacks the capacity to ensure enforcement of its own safety regulations.
“If Facebook doesn’t comply with requirements we have set out within seven days, we will recommend they suspend their operations. We will not allow Facebook to jeopardise our national security”, NCIC's Dr David Makori said.
