Wamuzi News Ke
In a revelation that’s sending shockwaves through Kenya’s digital space, a newly released Transparency Center report by tech giant Meta has unmasked just how deep the Kenyan government is digging into the private lives of its citizens online.
According to the bombshell 2024 findings, President William Ruto’s administration made 35 official requests for user data on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—zeroing in on a total of 55 user accounts. This aggressive move lands Kenya at number seven in Africa for the most data requests from Meta.
But here’s where things get even more intense.
Out of those 35 requests, seven were flagged as emergency disclosures, hinting at urgent national security or criminal investigations. The remaining 28? Legal maneuvers through Kenya’s judiciary. Despite the flurry of interest, Meta refused to fully comply with most of the requests, citing vague demands and weak legal backing.
Between January and June 2024, Kenya fired off 23 requests, affecting 37 accounts. Meta only partially complied with 43.5% of them. Things cooled slightly in the second half of the year, with 12 additional requests targeting 18 accounts—but compliance from Meta dropped to a mere 33%.
“Every request we receive is carefully reviewed for legal sufficiency,” Meta noted. “We may reject or demand more clarity for requests that appear overly broad or vague.”
And this isn’t a one-time affair. Since 2014, Kenya has been consistently knocking on Meta’s door for user data. In 2023, there were 15 requests. In 2022, 23. The highest volume came in 2021, with a staggering 25 requests targeting 114 accounts—a digital dragnet.
Yet the numbers don’t lie—Kenya’s appetite for social media surveillance is growing. Meta even admitted to restricting one piece of content locally after it allegedly violated Kenyan law between July 2022 and June 2023.
Still, when compared to other nations, Kenya’s efforts are dwarfed by countries like Morocco, which leads Africa with 1,188 requests, followed by Tunisia (121) and Libya (68). Closer to home, Uganda filed only two, while Tanzania and South Sudan each made a single request. Ethiopia and Somalia? Zero.
Globally, the United States topped the list with a jaw-dropping 156,556 requests, while the UK trailed with 21,684.
The report didn’t just expose user data hunts—it also shed light on global censorship orders. Between July 2023 and December 2024, Meta was forced to take down content globally following legal rulings from Austria and Brazil. While Meta complied, it publicly opposed such extraterritorial legal overreach, vowing to fight them in court.
In a rare misstep, Meta also accidentally restricted content worldwide, a mistake they claim has now been corrected.
As digital rights groups raise the alarm over privacy and surveillance, Kenyans are left asking: Who’s watching the watchers?
