CS Matiang'i: Gov’t will not shut down internet during elections

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has assured the country that the government will not interfere with internet or election transmission during the coming general election.

CS Matiang’i underscored that the State fully respects the democratic space as per the Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and speech.

The tough-talking CS made the remarks in Naivasha on Wednesday during a workshop to launch the national cyber security strategy.

"We are approaching elections and the biggest debate is about how we are going to behave with each other in the era of fake news and the unprecedented abuse of social media. The government is not going to act otherwise; we respect the freedom of Kenyans," said the CS.

"No amount of insults or criticism will tempt us enough to resort to retrogressive acts of interfering with freedoms of Kenyans."

In the last couple of months, the Kenya Kwanza team led by Deputy President William Ruto has alleged that there is an ongoing plot by the government, through the ICT ministry, to interfere with the transmission of election results.  

The team has pointed an accusing finger at CS Matiang’i and his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru as the masterminds behind the alleged plot.

Matiang’i however dismissed the allegations, noting that despite the amount of insult and intimidation leveled against them, they have never hatched a scheme to rig the upcoming polls.

“We have been accused of all manner of things but this will not tempt us to retrogressive steps like shutting down the internet during the elections as we respect the rights of all,” he said.

On the issue of cybersecurity, the Interior boss noted that the strategy would come in handy in addressing the issue of data protection within the security forces and business community.

The CS went on to revisit the controversial Huduma Namba noting that it was meant to ease government services by pooling all personal data together.

“Those who went to court opposing Huduma Namba were concerned by the issue of data protection and this will now be addressed through the Cyber Security Strategy,” he said.

Matiang’i added that the country’s security forces were not immune to cyber threats, adding that the government was keen to invest heavily in protecting its integrity from outside forces.