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The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), on Wednesday, April 26 issued a stern warning statement over the rise and rampant sharing of explicit content on social media platforms.
This statement by KFCB has been issued following the recent viral circulation of a disturbing video of a mother killing and feeding on her child’s remnants. The video was widely shared without any explicit warning on multiple social media platforms including WhatsApp. This has probed the launch of an online crackdown by KFCB.
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KFCB Condemns Immoral Activities on Social Media
Addressing the press on Wednesday, April 26, KFCB’s acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Christopher Wambua, said that some content creators have turned social media platforms into digital brothels from midnight onwards.
The board has been drawn to the sharing of graphic and disturbing audio-visual content on social media platforms in utter disregards to the interests of safety of the children and other vulnerable members of the society. In the recent past, the vice has not only been rampant but also taken a disconcerting turn with some bloggers and social media users sharing extremely offensive video content with the potential to cause harm. A case in point is the recent steaming of graphic content of a mother killing a minor in Kitengela.”
The statement read in part.
Wambua vowed to take legal action against individuals who share intimate images or videos of other parties without their consent- a violation of section 37 of the Constitution- Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
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This condemnation by KFCB comes; prior to the Kitengela mother video, several uncensored videos have gone viral within the past two months including an explicit video allegedly of CAS Millicent Omanga and a video of a man stabbing a woman at a Kitengela fast food outlet.
A person who transfers, publishes or disseminates the intimate or obsence lineage of another commits an offense and is liable, on conviction to a fine not exceeding Ksh. 250,000 or imprisonment of a term not exceeding two years or both.”
The Act reads.
Wambua also spoke on freedom of expression being misinterpreted out of the context of the constitution.
Freedom of expression must also be interpreted within the broader context of the provisions of the Constitutions, including Article 11 on culture, Article 24 on the limitation of rights and fundamental freedoms and Article 53 and 55 which advocates the rights of the child and the youth respectively. Offenders therefore,,ought to take note of this.”
Wambua said.
Mr. Wambua notably asked netizens to reflect back on the values that define them and check if they are really looking out for the interests of the child as far as interactions with the technology of the internet is concerned.
“As a society, we need to step back for a moment and reflect on the following: Are we losing the values that define us as a people? Put differently, have we lost our African philosophy of Ubuntuism –loosely defined as ‘I am because you are’? As a society, are we beginning to revel in and celebrate seeing others go down?
Are we harnessing the true value of the social media in general and film in particular? Have we, as a people, normalised violence and misogyny to the point of being insensitive to these vices? Are we sufficiently dealing with issues of mental health as a society? Are we really looking out for the interest of the child as we interact with technology or are we turning the internet, which is one of the most transformative innovations of our time, into the Wild West?”
The CEO said.
