The National Assembly Public Petitions Committee last week met with Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Hon. (Prof.) Kithure Kindiki to discuss a Petition seeking to ban Tiktok in the country.

Hon. (Prof.) Kindiki told Members that the petition to ban TikTok is more complex than it may initially appear.

In the Petition,  Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bridge Connection Consulting Group, Mr. Bob Ndolo alleges that the platform poses a significant threat to Kenya's cultural and religious values as it promotes violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language, and offensive behaviour.

The session chairperson Hon. Marwa Kitayama (Kuria East) sought the CS's opinion on whether TikTok is safe for use by the society and whether it warrants a ban.

In response, Hon. (Prof.) Kindiki urged the Committee and the nation to carefully consider the issue, emphasizing the need to align with global trends. He highlighted the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and integrated internet solutions in shaping the future.

Furthermore, he underscored the economic value that social media brings to contemporary society.

"We must recognize the economic value social media platforms like TikTok bring. Many individuals are leveraging these platforms for content creation and economic gain," he said.

Further he told Members that while he is committed to safeguarding society's safety and morality, we must strike a balance.

Addressing concerns about TikTok's potential dangers, the CS urged evidence-based decision-making.

"Declaring that the dangers of TikTok outweigh its benefits is premature. We need comprehensive data to guide our decisions," he added.

CS Kindiki went on to inform the Members that the Government was actively engaging with TikTok's management on the issue.  

According to Hon. (Prof.) Kindiku, the Government has communicated the concerns raised with the management of TikTok specifically with regards to compliance with our data protection laws.