Stories about Kenya
How technology has entrenched the authoritarian electoral practice of controlling political choice in Kenya's democracy
Kenya is representative of a nation where elections do not equate to democracy, and technological advancements have only provided the government with leverage over its citizens’ political choice.
Kenya and the fallacy of trading individual privacy for national security
When the right to privacy is fractured on a national scale by actions such as surveillance, a myriad of other human rights suffer in a sort of domino effect.
Kenya’s corporate, NGO and public sectors keep violating copyright laws on image rights
Lawsuits for copyright violations against organisations in Kenya’s private and public sectors have been increasing. So has the appropriation of images from current and former employees and customers.
As Kenyans prepare for a general election, how will officials combat fake news?
Is this election likely to be any different? These fact-checking startups have recently stepped up their efforts to counter fake news and prevent a hijack of Kenya's democracy.
Behind the success of the Kenyan Twitter disinformation campaign to discredit the Pandora Papers
Kenya’s disinformation industry successfully manipulated Twitter’s trending algorithm to attack the Pandora Papers and protect President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose family was implicated in the exposé.
Kenya police turn to Twitter PR as the arrest of a blogger goes against public opinion
“Somehow, the [Directorate of Criminal Investigations] believes that PR, and specifically ‘live-tweeting,’ will change Kenyans' perception without bringing about the much needed reforms within the force.”
Kenya must implement data protection law before 2022 presidential election
Kenya must act quickly to enforce its new data protection law. If not prepared, the ghosts of Kenya’s political past may once again come back to haunt its citizens.
Seven African governments employ surveillance spyware, says new study
Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have employed surveillance technology from Circles, a firm affiliated with Israel's NSO Group, according to the report by Citizen Lab.
For journalists in Kenya, ‘2020 is the worst year on record’
Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in Kenya in March, more than 47 cases of arbitrary arrest, assault and harassment have been perpetrated against bloggers, online activists and human rights defenders.
Toward a cyberfeminist future: A new study centers African women as protagonists online
Over 3,000 women from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and South Africa, were interviewed about their "perceptions of digital safety" and online gender-based violence in a new, large-scale study by Pollicy.
A new game plays with ideas about how disinformation works in East Africa
"Chose Your Own Fake News" is an online game that teaches new internet users how to be more discerning about the information they receive and encounter in digital spaces.
Kenya now has a data protection law. What does this mean for netizens?
Will Kenya’s new data protection law protect the rights of citizens? Or will it serve as a conduit to acquire, store and use data in the digital capitalism food chain?
Taxed, throttled or thrown in jail: Africa’s new internet paradigm
Across the continent, the legal and economic costs of speaking up are rising.
Censored in 2018: Protest videos, court verdicts, real news — and Peppa Pig
From blocked websites to revoked media licenses to account shutdowns, censorship comes in many forms. Here are a few we saw in 2018.
One Country, Two Leaders and Four Censored TV Channels: Kenya's Political Crisis Takes a Toll on Human Rights
The illusion of an independent Kenyan media that is free from state interference has evaporated.
Kenyan TV Networks Censored for Airing Symbolic ‘Swearing In’ of Opposition Leader Raila Odinga
When Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga was symbolically—if not legally—sworn in as the "people's president" on January 30, three major broadcasting networks were unplugged by the Government of Kenya.
Data and Democracy: What Role Did Cambridge Analytica Play in Kenya's Elections?
The data analysis company that helped Donald Trump's campaign claim victory in the US is working with Kenya's ruling party.
Can Facebook Connect the Next Billion?
New research by Global Voices tech and digital rights experts in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan and the Philippines exposes the ups and downs of Facebook's "Free Basics" app.
Netizen Report: In Kenya and Mexico, Citizens Suspect State Manipulation on Twitter
As social manipulation abounds on Twitter, Venezuela blocks more news websites, and Facebook heads to France to fight fake news.
Kenyan Government Allegedly Pays Social Media Influencers to Promote “GreedyDoctors” Hashtag
As allegations of social media manipulation surfaced, seven Kenyan Doctor’s Union officials were jailed for failing to call off an ongoing strike.
