The government has broken its silence after it emerged that hundreds of emails were sent to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting the cancellation of a planned state visit by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima.
Through a scathing statement from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the government raised alarm over what it has termed as ‘recent cyber activities spreading misinformation and disinformation’ aimed at undermining the credibility of the Kenya Kwanza government.
The Ministry pointed an accusing finger at social media influencers, who they accused of spreading online messages and attacks that were aimed at undermining government initiatives.
According to the Ministry, the crude cyber activities started in the wake of the Gen-Z protests in June 2024.
A collage of President William Ruto and social media applications. PHOTO/ William Ruto.
“These activities initially sparked by genuine protests by Gen-Z’s have evolved into organized cyber attacks by a few social media influencers and seek to delegitimize government initiatives, discourage high-level visits, de-campaign Kenya’s candidates for international and regional positions while sending intimidatory messages to members of the international community.
As a way to mitigate cyber attacks, the government announced initiatives were underway to develop technologies that would promote accountability and ethical practices on the internet.
Further, the Ministry also moved to assure the public and the international community that a spate of concerns that emerged since the anti-finance bill protests would be addressed.
Dig deeper: The Ministry’s statement came amid online tensions between Kenyans and the government, as the disconnect between President Ruto and his electorate threatens to play out to the international community.
The Ministry’s take on the cyber attacks also came after a concerning report from a Dutch media outlet which claimed the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry was aware of Kenyans’ discontent with the government despite Ruto extending an invitation to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander.
Incidentally, online attacks on the Kenya Kwanza government have spiraled to a devastating low, with daring online users going to the lengths of signing an online petition to cancel Dutch Royals’ state visit to Kenya.
Further, ODM’s Raila Odinga’s candidature for the African Union Commission has also come under threat, particularly online, as some unscrupulous social media users have openly campaigned for Mr Odinga’s main rivals for the seat.
Meanwhile, the government on Thursday also issued key directives to social media companies with platforms accessible to Kenyans.
In the directives, social media companies will be required to establish physical offices in the country to enable the government to ensure accountability of the platforms’ usage.
An image of social media icons on display on a mobile phone.
Anadolu Agency