The Kenyan government sets the stage for a possible social media crackdown in the country, soliciting more influence over social media platforms operating in the country. Trump hails himself as the saviour of TikTok, promising to swoop down and save the platform from getting banned.
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It happened in Kenya: Kenya’s Social Media Crackdown
Raymond Omollo, Kenya’s Permanent Secretary for Interior Security, met representatives of various social media companies on Thursday, January 16. Omollo outlined policy measures to be implemented by the Kenyan government aimed at taming ‘digital abuse’ propagated on social media platforms.
Kenyans have resorted to using social media platforms to express criticism and displeasure with President Ruto’s government. In the government’s eyes, social media has become ungovernable, awash with direct abuse of government officials and the incitement of violence.
In December, 6 prominent influencers on X were abducted, presumably by clandestine authorities, for posting ‘derogatory’ content about President Ruto and some of his closest allies. Nonetheless, this only seems to increase backlash against President Ruto’s regime, as social media users demanded their release.
The Kenyan government has been cracking down, hard, on anti-government protests. Several protestors were killed as Kenyans took to the streets to demand accountability from the government.
Social media platforms, which played a huge role in mobilizing the protests, became the new protest tool for Kenyans.
Government officials deemed responsible for the country’s impunity are named, shamed and personally confronted on social media platforms. Calls for removing Ruto’s regime under the hashtag #RutoMustGo became a trending hashtag on X. Kenyans publicized their displeasure with the government globally, reaching out to international partners and leaders seeking to work with Ruto’s government.
The Dutch and Emirati royals, who were both due to visit Kenya, received unending messages and emails from Kenyans asking them to cancel their visits. Ruto was forced to travel to the UAE after it cancelled the planned state visit to finalize an economic cooperation agreement between the two countries. Kenya’s Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi took issue with Kenyans who wrote to the Dutch government asking them to cancel their state visit.
If anything, there has been no high-level visit from a globally influential leader since the height of the protests in July 2024
The international community has taken notice of the happenings in the country. Ruto’s government has received widespread condemnation for its handling of the situation.
Nonetheless, the government remains resolute in launching efforts to tame social media usage in the country. The Ministry of Interior directed that all social media companies operating in the country set up offices within the country under the government’s jurisdiction. In essence, the government wishes to have more control over social media operations within the country.
The incoming Cabinet Secretary for ICT William Kabogo also pledged to introduce heavier regulations on social media use in the country.
Elsewhere, former President Uhuru Kenyatta encouraged the Kenyan youth’s efforts in demanding accountability from the government. He termed them as the ‘future of Kenyan politics’ and urged them to ‘stand up and fight for their rights’.
Uhuru was speaking at the burial of his cousin Kibathi Muigai on Friday, January 17
Uhuru’s sentiments come a month after he appeared to mend fences with President Ruto when the two leaders met at Uhuru’s Ichaweri home. Uhuru had fallen out with Ruto, who was his deputy at the time, during his last term as the country’s president. He consequently supported Ruto’s main rival Raila Odinga in the 2022 General Elections.
Ruto’s allies quickly came to the defence of the President, terming Uhuru’s remarks as ‘inciteful’ and geared towards destabilizing Ruto’s regime.
As the politicking wars continued, Social Health Authority (SHA) systems continued to fail leaving many patients in Kenyan hospitals stranded.
The system remains unresponsive in most public hospitals, as patients are forced to queue and wait for approval to receive crucial healthcare services. All this despite the government’s assurances on the efficacy and fluidity of the system.
On Wednesday, January 15, frustrated patients stormed the Ministry of Health offices during a press conference led by the Health Cabinet Secretary to express their displeasure with the SHA system. They expressed having to wait for hours, even days, just to receive basic healthcare services in public entities. Many more are forced to pay in cash just to escape the prospect of having to wait for hours to access crucial healthcare services.
The government unveiled SHA as a replacement for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) in October 2024. SHA’s feasibility has been called into question for raising premiums and deductibles for little improvements in the quality of healthcare services covered.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, oversaw the deployment of 217 additional troops from the Kenyan Police Force to Haiti on Friday, January 17. The troops reinforce the 400 Kenyan troops already deployed in the country.
Kenya has been deploying troops in Haiti since June last year as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, a peacekeeping undertaking meant to contain gang violence in the country.
However, the mission in Haiti has been far from successful, in part due to the unwilling commitment of the international community. Kenya is only one of the few countries with troops in the country.
The UN estimates that 80% of the capital is still controlled by Haitian gangs.
Global Events: Trump ‘saves’ TikTok
President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated on Monday, January 20.
Trump’s presidency promises tremendous political reforms in the United States and the global stage at large. The impact of his presidency is already being felt, even as he promises to undertake radical measures to protect the country’s national and global interests.
Read More: How Trump rode the wave of populism to re-election
Trump played a big role in brokering a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza. The ceasefire truce seems to slow down the war, only for a moment though, as both Netanyahu and Hamas are not likely to honour the ceasefire terms and fighting is expected to continue.
Tensions are already flaring in the West Bank with many Palestinian homes and villages being attacked by Israeli settlers. The Biden administration played a huge role in drafting the terms of the agreement and took a lead role in leading the negotiations. Trump’s involvement was crucial nonetheless in pressuring Israel to accept the ceasefire deal. Both teams played a collaborative role.
The ceasefire came into force on Sunday, January 19.
Trump is expected to undertake several measures on his first day of office. Top on that list is the restoration of TikTok, a social media platform with over 170 million users in the USA alone.
TikTok was banned following a determination by the US Congress that the Chinese government was using it to collect sensitive data on American citizens. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company rumoured to be in close ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China’s governing authority.
TikTok has been authorized to sell its assets to a US-based company. The Supreme Court upheld the decision by Congress and the app was banned from transacting with US third-party service providers. While Biden’s Administration left the enforcement of this conclusion to Trump’s administration, TikTok still chose to go dark in the US, awaiting Trump’s inauguration.
Trump promised to support the platform during his campaign trail. He credits the app with winning him a majority of young voters during his campaign.
Nevertheless, Trump will have to find possible legal loopholes for his salvation of TikTok to work. At the moment, he can work with pushing the deadline for TikTok’s ban forward by 90 days.
Ironically, Trump initially raised concerns about TikTok in 2020 when he issued executive ban orders imposing sanctions on the platform. Therefore, Biden’s administration was at pains to distance itself from China and proceeded to enact legislation to ban the platform.
Trump has gained support from various tech billionaires, starting with Elon Musk, his chief campaigner and owner of X. Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post and Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) have been in talks with Trump in recent days. They all pledged to align their platforms closely with ‘Trump’s worldview’ to escape the prospect of regulatory reinforcements.
In Southern California, huge wildfires have continued to wreck devastation in the region, destroying homes, businesses and entire ecosystems.
So far, the fires have destroyed 10,600 structures and 1,400 homes. Quite unfortunately, 27 people have also lost their lives.
The Eaton Fire is the second deadliest and fifth most destructive in California’s history. The Palisades fire is the fourth most destructive. Both fires have burned across an area of over 37,000 acres.
The State of California is particularly prone to fires, particularly in the January season. The area’s vegetation coupled with high-speed winds in the dry season helps to propagate the spread of wildfires. All the fire needs to start is a spark in the wrong place.
As more people settle into the rural areas of the state, they are more likely to be in the path of these fires. Furthermore, global warming has also played a role in exacerbating the occurrence of the fires.
In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol became the first sitting president to be arrested while in office. Investigators and the police force stormed his presidential residence in the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 15.
Yoon’s arrest came after he declared martial law on December 3, 2024, putting the country under military rule for the first time in 45 years. His martial law decree only lasted for six hours before he was impeached by the Parliament on December 14.
Yoon has been facing a wave of unpopularity in the country. His declaration of martial law came from desperation, as he sought to contain the country’s opposition movement. Yoon is also facing questioning over sending the military to disrupt an impeachment vote against him on December 7.
He is expected to be detained for questioning for 20 days while the country’s constitutional court determines the grounds for his impeachment. The court has the power to uphold the impeachment or reinstate him to power in the space of six months.
Elsewhere in the region: Sanctions on Sudan
The United States has imposed sanctions on the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. In a statement issued on Thursday, January 16, the US Treasury Department stated under the leadership of Al-Burhan, SAF has continually violated human rights by orchestrating targeted attacks on civilians.
It also highlighted acts of food deprivation used by SAF as a war tactic as gross violations worthy of sanctions.
The US has also imposed sanctions on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dalgado, accusing it of committing genocide, perpetrating sexual violence and executing armed and defenceless civilians.
The RSF and SAF have been locked in a brutal war of control in the country, which is in part perpetrated by the indulgence of external powers operating in the country.
Read more: How the Russia-Ukraine war is being fought in Africa.
The Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, January 15 as part of a three-day state visit.
Touadera arrived in Moscow for bilateral talks with Russia aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries.
CAR enjoys strong ties with Russia. Russia’s Wagner Group (since rebranded to Africa Corps) has a strong military presence in the country, offering military assistance to Touadera’s regime.
Russia has been keen to expand its influence in Africa, and CAR has drawn to be one of its closest allies in the region.
CAR has been fighting a long and brutal civil war against rebel movements since 2012. The rebel groups are still in control of much of the Northern and Eastern regions of the country.
In Tanzania, President Samia Suluhu was named as Chama cha Mapinduzi’s presidential candidate for the country’s polls expected to be held in October.
Suluhu took over in 2021 following the sudden death of President John Magufuli.
Suluhu’s government continues to face criticism over the oppression of opposition politicians from the rival Chadema party as well as the murders, arrests and detentions of activists.
In Mozambique, Daniel Chapo was sworn in as the country’s fifth president on Wednesday, January 15.
Chapo’s inauguration was sparsely attended and heavily guarded. It follows continued protests in the country following the outcome of the October 9 polls which were contested by the country’s opposition. Most opposition parties boycotted his swearing ceremony.
The results of the poll placed Chapo as the winner with 65% of the vote. Venacio Mondlane, the main opposition candidate garnered 24% of the vote.
Nonetheless, opposition parties and external observers alike pointed out that the elections were marred by massive irregularities and hence, were not free and fair.
Mondlane was quick to contest the results of the elections calling on his supporters to come out protest. The protests turned deadly as the government forces suppressed the protestors. More than 300 people are believed to have been killed in the wake of the protests.
Chapo was the ruling party’s (Frelimo) candidate, following the stepping down of Filipe Nyusi whose two-term presidential tenure came to an end.
Chapo inherits a fragmented regime and must find ways to mend fences, all while shaking off the image of his ‘illegitimate’ election to power.
That’s it for this week!
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