Facebook and Twitter users in Kenya who post material passing as hate speech and incitement to violence could soon find themselves in trouble with the law.
Dr Mzalendo Kibunja, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) chairman said they were working with the police on monitoring materials posted on social media by individuals and organisations.
"NCIC has set up a department to specifically deal with the material posted on internet sites like Facebook and Twitter and the monitoring would be intense as we approach the next general election," Kibunjia.
He said the Commission was working with CID officers from the cyber crime unit on the matter and that the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) and other stakeholders would also be involved.
"We have already written to owners of facebook asking them to cooperate with NCIC in handling the issue to the extent of shutting down some of the accounts operated," Kibunjia revealed.
He said there were challenges in regulating what was posted on the Internet but experts and various players were being roped in to ensure that as the country goes to the next general election, social media is not used to incite people to violence or cause ethnic or political tension.
Kibunjia was responding to issues raised by Mr David Ohito, the vice chairman of the Editor’s Guild on NCIC focus on public utterances by leaders and media coverage over issues bordering on hate speech while social media spewed worse material.
The media stakeholders meeting at the Hilton hotel to review guidelines for election coverage by the media was organised by the Media Council of Kenya and Internews.
Kibunjia called on the media to be vigilant and maintain high professional conduct in the run up to the election which he said would be make and break careers of some politicians.
Source-http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000048331&cid=4&ttl=Facebook, Twitter post could land you in jail
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE & LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE