The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has warned that if not controlled, social media will lead the country to an inescapable 'third rebirth'.
Speaking during the COTU annual day prayer on Sunday, April 27, Atwoli stressed that there is a need for a collective effort to ensure that the country does not go through a 'rebirth' similar to what it was about to witness during the 2007 post-election violence and the 2024 Gen Z protests.
According to Atwoli, 'God is likely' not to save us from the third 'rebirth' if we don't take proactive measures.
"We should protect this country. Every country goes through a rebirth. Kenya was almost going through a rebirth in 2007, but God saved us, and during the Gen Z protests, we were going to witness another rebirth, and God saved us again, and I don't think that he will do it the third time," he said.
According to Atwoli, the country should emulate other countries such as China and the United Arab Emirates to regulate what is dispensed on social media platforms.
According to Atwoli, the country should establish a 'special branch' that will oversee and control the whole media ecosystem in the country.
"We can't have such a society, and if you look at the young people on social media, they have never worked anywhere and they are not members of any trade union; you will just see them commenting and opposing the government through comments, which is causing incitement," he said.
In a heavy tone, Atwoli pointed out that social media will play a key role in restricting the country from attaining its economic, social, and political goals.
Additionally, Atwoli has stressed that the church should be at the vanguard in opposing inappropriate use of social media to also protect the people, especially the younger generations.
"The church must speak about TikTok and other social media platforms; they must take the lead to ensure that children don't end up consuming inappropriate things from these platforms," he said.
Atwoli's sentiments come weeks after the Government Spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, during an interview with NTV on Monday, April 7, alleged that unknown individuals are using social media platforms, especially TikTok, to fabricate military takeovers on the continent.
According to Mwaura, individuals are 'deliberately' criticising presidents by projecting them as 'dishonest' and 'old' and then glorifying other military leaders.
"If you look at TikTok, there seems to be a very silent operation promoting the military takeover, and some people have criticised me in the past for claiming that there is external interference in how people tend to make their decisions," he said.
