To fight dissent, Kenya clamps down on social media, AI

Times of Oman

10-02-2025

Nairobi: A silent war is unfolding in Kenya, not on the streets but in the vast, uncharted world of the internet.
Kenya's digital landscape is at a breaking point, as the government clamps down on AI-generated content and social media activism, igniting what many have described as a ticking time bomb of online resistance.
In recent months, Kenya has witnessed a series of abductions targeting government critics. Notably, individuals such as cartoonist Gideon Kibet and 24-year-old Billy Mwangi were reportedly abducted after sharing AI-generated images depicting Kenyan President William Ruto in a coffin.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 82 cases of abductions since June 2024, with at least 29 people still missing as of last month.
While some abductees, including Kibet and Mwangi, were released without explanation, Kenyan authorities have denied involvement in the disappearances.
AI fuels dissent
With AI-generated protests, viral political satire, and tech-savvy activists challenging authority, officials are scrambling to rein in a digital revolution that refuses to be silenced, leaving the East African nation standing at the crossroads of innovation and intimidation.
As artificial intelligence fuels digital dissent, the government is tightening its grip on social media, wielding regulations against an increasingly vocal online population.
Mark Kaigwa, a tech visionary and founder of Nairobi-based digital marketing company Nendo, told DW he sees a pattern emerging.
"Citizens have, in their own way, been exercising what some would call 'greater than their freedom of expression' and many might describe as well within their rights," he said.
With AI-generated protest anthems, satirical deepfakes, and viral political memes flooding the digital sphere, Kenya's online activism is evolving faster than authorities can contain it.
AI and the battle for narrative control
One of the biggest challenges has been AI tools like Grok, embedded into X (formerly Twitter), allowing users to create shockingly realistic political imagery.
With Kenya's leaders frequently the subject of these AI creations, tensions are rising over how to control the technology without stifling free speech.
"Ever since Elon Musk and his team integrated Grok … their generative AI platform, you can generate images in there and some of the ones that have been generated have been of political leaders in coffins," Kaigwa revealed.
"And some of those, of course, can be grotesque and macabre, but the question is now where this tension comes in — because you're no longer talking just about AI, you're talking about AI inside of a very popular social network."
Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen last month condemned the use of AI-generated images targeting political leaders.
"We will ensure that those using social media to threaten others face the full force of the law," he said.
Kenyan officials have floated the idea of requiring social media companies to set up local offices for better regulatory oversight.
However, as Kaigwa pointed out, "All of them have a physical office, except for X now formerly known as Twitter."
Kenyans on X: a digital force
Kenya has long been a digital powerhouse. The country pioneered mobile money with M-Pesa, boasts a thriving startup ecosystem, and has a social media culture that punches far above its weight.
The phenomenon of "Kenyans on X" has reached global prominence, with online activism shaking governments, brands, and even foreign leaders.
Kaigwa recounted how a planned visit by the Dutch king nearly collapsed under the weight of Kenyan digital resistance.
"And even recently, we've seen an announcement of the Dutch monarchy, with the king of the Netherlands set to come to Kenya, and the actual Dutch monarchy reporting that their entire IT systems were overwhelmed with people writing emails saying, 'Hey, we don't think you should come.'"
The government's struggle to control digital dissent has taken a darker turn, with allegations of online influencers being abducted or threatened.
"The current regime of the day has also struggled, really, with what we might call controlling the narrative, or controlling public perception on social networks," Kaigwa said.
"It's partly the reason that a number of prominent social media figures tend to be some of the ones abducted or who go missing and end up with serious questions regarding the authorities."
A continent-wide crackdown
Kenya's moves mirror a growing trend across Africa.
"If we look to Kenya's neighbor Uganda, they've gone about this quite differently," Kaigwa noted.
"Over the last few years, they have had a social media tax, which meant that people had to pay the government a certain amount individually to access social networks and their messages and content there, they have done social media shutdowns."
Internet blackouts have become a favored tool for many African governments, with estimates showing they cost economies billions of dollars in lost revenue. Kenya itself has dipped its toe into these waters.
"Even in Kenya, Kenya has had several shutdowns, and most recently, just a few short months ago, I believe, in November, a shutdown of the messaging app Telegram as national exams took place," Kaigwa said.
Kenya's AI dilemma: innovation or censorship?
While cracking down on digital expression, Kenya is also positioning itself as a leader in AI policy.
Ambassador Philip Tigo, Kenya's special envoy for technology and AI, has been actively engaging with global stakeholders to unlock investment and shape international policy.
However, Kaigwa argues that Kenya's AI crackdown is selective.
"I would argue it's not all of AI, really, here. It's a very particular type of use of AI — so generative AI, which is a subset, and then specifically, it tends to be some of the imagery that's been used."
The broader concern is misinformation and deepfakes, which are already making it harder to distinguish reality from fabrication.
"Even if you knew who said it first, there's a question of whether you can find the identity of that person and to what degree that's infringing on their personal rights of expression."
Kenya stands at a defining moment: Will it embrace its reputation as Africa's Silicon Savannah, championing free expression in the digital age? Or will it follow the path of digital repression, controlling the online narrative through regulations and crackdowns?
For now, as Kaigwa puts it, "Kenyans are likely, to some degree, to seek to resist it."