Atwoli pushes for social media curbs, says misuse a threat to the country
He cited the post-election crisis in 2007 and last year's Gen Z protests as examples of moments when the country was on the edge
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has once again asked the government needs to regulate social media.
Speaking during the Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Atwoli pleaded with President William Ruto to help regulate the activities of Kenyans in social media to avoid the country getting into war.
The Cotu SG stated that his appeal to the government on social media regulation is as a patriotic Kenyan, as he added that he will remain so until his death.
“This one I will talk as a patriotic Kenyan until I go to the grave. I am appealing to Kenyans, we must love this country because we have no other country. If Kenya went down to dogs, we have no exit route,” he stated.
Atwoli stated that just like China, the United States, Dubai and the United Kingdom, among other countries, the Kenyan government needs to think about social media regulation.
“I want to appeal to all Kenyans, we must love this country. One day, you will remember me if we do not regulate social media. In China, where you have been, Your Excellency, social media is regulated despite a population of about 1.4 billion people. Kenya cannot be a place where wrongdoing is allowed in the name of freedom. That is the kind of patriotism we must uphold,” he added.
This is the second time this week that Atwoli has maintained his call on social media regulation by the government.
According to the long-serving Cotu supremo, the country cannot achieve meaningful development when social media encourages content that division and disrespect for leaders.
He argued that if social media remains unregulated, it could cause serious harm to Kenya’s social, economic, and political fabric.
The Cotu boss said the nation must be careful not to allow unrest to take root again, noting that Kenya has previously come close to dangerous political shifts.
He cited the post-election crisis in 2007 and last year’s Gen Z protests as examples of moments when the country was on the edge.
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, on his part, said Kenyans need to have a conversation about social media usage to avoid its pitfalls.
“We need to have a conversation about social media to see how we can direct our energies from negativity to positivity so that we don’t pull each other down,” he said.
