After a meeting with TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, on Thursday, Kenyan President William Ruto revealed that offensive or inappropriate content will undergo removal from the short-form video platform.
TikTok has committed to collaborating closely with the Kenyan government to moderate content on its platform, ensuring alignment with community standards.
State House officials further disclosed that TikTok intends to establish a regional office in Nairobi and expand its Kenyan workforce, acknowledging Kenya’s standing as one of the most engaged nations on the short-form video app.
According to the 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report, Kenya boasts the world’s highest TikTok usage rate, with 54% of users in the country utilizing the app for various purposes and 29% for news consumption.
This development comes in response to a petition urging lawmakers to ban TikTok in Kenya. Kimani Ichung’wa, the Majority Leader, pointed out that since the app primarily employs young individuals, parliamentary oversight of its suspension becomes complex.
Echoing this sentiment, Opiyo Wandayi, the Minority Leader, concurred, emphasizing that given Kenya’s elevated unemployment rate and the prevailing challenging times, the nation cannot thrive autonomously in the digital era.
In light of these considerations, President Ruto affirmed that YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook have committed to fostering revenue generation from youth-generated content. He highlighted that the government has initiated discussions with these companies’ leadership to cultivate opportunities for talented Kenyan individuals.
Moreover, on August 2, 2023, the Kenyan Ministry of Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy announced its intention to review legislation safeguarding social media users. The ministry also expressed apprehensions about the current trend of TikTok users streaming live content between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., often sharing explicit material.
