The government has stated that it is putting up measures to reduce any political tension that would force it to shut down internet services during the August 8 General Election.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) on Thursday stated that it was not considering taking such drastic measures either before, during or after the polls but it would be keenly following the situation.
CA Director General Francis Wangusi added that the authority did not intend to curtail people's freedom of speech despite reported cases of hate speech being propagated online, in the run-up to the polls.
“We are using all possible means not to reach a level where the country can be in tension and force us maybe to take a drastic step. We don't believe it is our intention to deter people from communicating and that is why we have called you here to start alerting you on how we can freely communicate without having to bring a lot of tension,” Wangusi told journalists.
He, however, noted that sometimes the government can take actions to protect its citizens but clarified that such a decision was yet to be considered.
“Sometimes, when tension is so high, the government may decide to take an action for purposes of protecting the people of Kenya from any adverse outcomes caused by those who want to cause trouble," he noted.
The same was restated by ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru who maintained that the country is run by a digital government which would not consider interrupting internet services.
“I can tell you categorically that is not government policy. It is not our expectation the country will be in the position to shut down internet services,” assured Mucheru.
In the past, some countries such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt among others have shut down internet services especially during election periods to contain political temperatures.
