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| A screenshot of President Kenyatta's tweet after he signed the Anti-blogging Bill 2018 |
Whether you take it literally or 'illiterally' as some are apt to, President Kenyatta's signature on the new Computer Misuse and Cyber crimes Bill 2018 is a double edged sword. For one, all the tribal gab and hate speech that some bloggers had so notoriously capitalized on is now kaput! No more mudslinging, name-calling and publication of unsubstantiated information. If one must write something unbecoming about another, they will have to cite the sources of the information and the references must be credible. It therefore is not much different from the speed governors that the NTSA demanded of Public Service Vehicles to curb over-speeding.
On the other hand, online publication just became more prestigious as leaders will have to take responsibility for their writers. Now, which small-time politician will be willing and able to pay a fine of not less than Ksh.5 million for a careless blogger? This means that it is only the big fish (maybe Governors and presidential candidates) who will afford to maintain staff for their online publicity. Obviously, the law of Higher Risk - Higher Return will hold, so that only those in a position to defend their bloggers financially and morally are set to benefit from online competition.
Such posts and comments as below shall certainly be highly frowned upon:
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| Screenshot of a derogatory remark against the president and part of a conversation containing unsubstantiated allegations |
Here below are the specifics on various cyber offenses and their corresponding penalties:
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