Oped Series: Securing Kenya’s Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age

The Kofi Annan Foundation has supported the publication of a five-part op-ed series on the Pan-African digital platform The Elephant. The series seeks to explore the use of personal data in campaigns, the spread of misinformation and disinformation, social media censorship, and incitement to violence and hate speech, and the practical measures various stakeholders can adopt to safeguard Kenya’s electoral integrity in the digital age ahead of the 2022 elections. This op-ed series is made possible through the support of the United Nations Democracy Fund.

Oped 1: Securing Kenya’s Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age

Published 17 September 2021. A collaborative approach by all stakeholders is crucial in order to curb the spread of content that undermines healthy democratic activity without subverting healthy online engagement. Continue Reading >

Oped 2: Securing Kenya’s Electoral Integrity: Regulating Personal Data Use

Published 1 October 2021. The Data Protection Act needs to be fully operationalised As Kenya heads into the 2022 election cycle and a sensitisation exercise undertaken concerning the use of personal data in campaigns. Continue Reading >

Oped 3:Securing Kenya’s Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age: Regulating Truth

Published 22 October 2021. The Kenyan government has tried to curb the spread of false or inaccurate information through regulation. But outlawing disinformation alone will not address the spread of fake news. Continue Reading >

Oped 4: Securing Kenya’s Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age: Censorship

Published 6 November 2021. Social media platforms have become increasingly central to democratic processes and civil society in Kenya must therefore remain vigilant of suppression of content online, whether by platforms or governments. Continue Reading >

Oped 5: Safeguarding Kenya’s Electoral Democracy in the Digital Age: Regulating Hate Speech and Incitement to Violence

Published 10 December 2021. The government may easily find itself turning to internet shutdowns to mitigate the perceived harm of inciteful rhetoric or to silence criticism. Continue Reading >

About the Authors Abdulmalik Sugow and Isaac Rutenberg

Abdulmalik is a legal researcher and consultant who holds a law degree from Strathmore University. His research interests include content moderation, intermediary liability and more broadly, the nexus of social media and democracy. Abdulmalik has published academic articles in peer-reviewed journals and has previously consulted for the World Bank. He currently serves as a non-permanent member of the Strathmore Law Clinic’s Oversight Board. Dr. Isaac Rutenberg is a Senior Lecturer and the Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law at Strathmore Law School in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also an Associate Member of the Center for Law, Technology, and Society at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

In 2013, in line with a recommendation of the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security, the Kofi Annan Foundation launched the Electoral Integrity Initiative (EII). The EII is an informal network of organisa-tions and individuals who share a common concern for the unaddressed political challenges that undermine elections, especially in countries that have recently emerged from, or are experiencing, prolonged political instability.

The project is managed by a small team within the Kofi Annan Foundation. A group of individuals from around the world and from organisations with expertise and experience in improving electoral integrity make up the steering group for the project. Membership of the group is by invitation and informal. A group of Senior Public Figures made up of former statesmen and women has agreed to lend their support to the Initiative, and to en-gage, where requested, with individual countries where the risks of fraught and possibly violent elections are high.

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