Kenya Gov’t Unveils a Multi-Agency Team to Hunt Down Social Media Bullies

The government has launched a crackdown on cybercriminals and social media bullies ahead of next year’s general elections.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Thursday announced the creation of a multi-agency team to enforce the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, 2018. 

Dubbed the National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NC4), the team will strengthen action on the detection, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrimes. 

The team is made up of representatives from Kenya Defense Forces, the National Police Service, the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of the Interior, Office of the Attorney-General, Director of Public Prosecutions, Communications Authority of Kenya, and Central Bank, among others.

“As we approach the general elections, our challenge number one is the misuse and abuse of social media,” said Matiang’i during the launch of the secretariat. 

He added: “Nations around the world are pumping resources into research on cybersecurity…Our conflicts are going to move to the Judiciary, and the judges must be capacitated enough to help us resolve them.” 

Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, who chairs the committee, said the unveiling of the secretariat will deter rampant abuse and character assassinations on social media.  

“The operationalization of this Secretariat and the law will provide us as a country with a very good foundation to get recourse from those who are hiding behind the keyboard of their phones to commit crime,” said Kibicho. 

ICT CS Joe Mucheru said, “People have been giving public holidays on social media, kill others online, and even publish content from different countries to mislead citizens. This habit must stop.”

The committee was established under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018 to enable timely prohibition, detection, investigation, prosecution, and response to computer misuse and cybercrime.