Latest / The TechTrends Podcast / Freedom vs. Control: The Case for Regulating Social Media in Kenya
Transcript
- 0:02This is the Tech Transport cast. You'll go to podcast for the
- 0:06latest in tech innovation and the digital world.
- 0:21Hello and welcome back to the Tech Trans Podcast.
- 0:25As I always say, the Tech Trans Podcast is where we dive into
- 0:28deep. We dive deep into stories that
- 0:31are shaping Kenya's tech culture and the digital economy.
- 0:35My name is Nick Canali. My name is Alan.
- 0:38And today, Alan, we are talking a very interesting topic, of
- 0:40course, that has sparked a lot of debate, you know, actually
- 0:43cause part protests, you know, in the last couple of days.
- 0:46So we are talking about protests, we are talking about
- 0:49policy debates, of course, some pretty heated conversation both
- 0:52online and offline. And it's about regulating social
- 0:56media. Is it a necessary step, you
- 0:58know, in Kenya or is just a threat to Kenyans youth?
- 1:02And of course, let me just take you back.
- 1:03So since last year's, during the Gen.
- 1:06Z protests, which of course a lot of young people took part
- 1:12in, the government has been pointing fingers at, you know,
- 1:16social media platforms like TikTok, you know, Twitter or X,
- 1:20you know, and Instagram and calling on stricter controls.
- 1:24And we've seen politicians jumping into this debate, just
- 1:27making very unnecessary comments that there's need for Kenya or
- 1:31the government actually regret social media in Kenya.
- 1:34On the other hand, we've seen a lot of young people argue that
- 1:37these platforms have been very, you know, beneficial for them,
- 1:40right? You know, we're talking about
- 1:42this part of creating jobs. You know, we're talking about
- 1:45activism, of course, you know, and building communities.
- 1:48So where is the balance? So let's set the stage and I
- 1:54think, you know, I want your thoughts on this.
- 1:57I mean, what role do you think social media really played in
- 2:01the 2023? I mean the last year Gen.
- 2:05Z protest. The 2024 Yeah.
- 2:10So. On one side, I think major, the
- 2:14big part was planning yeah, like just like online in terms of
- 2:20collaboration of those people being able to add.
- 2:24So like for for instance, you can imagine like enormous
- 2:30circumstances bringing like 4008 thousand 10,000 people to to our
- 2:38physical meeting. It will be challenging yeah.
- 2:40But now like with the Twitter Spaces, you could find like a
- 2:44Twitter space with more than 1000 people like actively
- 2:48contributing yeah and like the voice, the voice could be their
- 2:55voices being heard yeah. Then on the other hand, you also
- 3:01that convenience in terms of like you don't need to leave
- 3:03your job for you to participate in the conversation.
- 3:07Yeah, possibly you've been working or you are even working
- 3:11and you have your like laptop or tablet following through with
- 3:15the debates going on. So one, planning, then two,
- 3:20being able to convene multiple people from different
- 3:25backgrounds, different backgrounds.
- 3:28And then also the aspect of like engagement doesn't need to stop
- 3:33to stop. Like at any point you can jump
- 3:35in and and contribute. Yeah.
- 3:38I think on that day, I remember, you know, of course some of us
- 3:40took part to a lot of these online conversations.
- 3:44And and I think it's a it's at that time of where we saw a lot
- 3:49of social actually Twitter spaces to be specific.
- 3:52Yeah, there was a rise in really consumption in order to what you
- 3:56need to use of them. And you'll see actually people
- 3:58joining and they were pulling crazy numbers, you know.
- 4:01Yeah. And some of these numbers you
- 4:03don't see politicians pull, you know, when someone just seen you
- 4:05want to pull the number. But you politicians whenever
- 4:08were not able to pull these numbers.
- 4:10But you'll see young people organize these spaces, you know,
- 4:15discuss what's affecting them. Yeah.
- 4:17And, you know, that's why I don't like this idea of the
- 4:21government saying that these protests were really fueled by
- 4:24these platforms. No, the platform.
- 4:28The platforms were basically convene us.
- 4:33It's semi it's like for instance, if we met in this in
- 4:37this studio to plan a protest this this building has nothing
- 4:42to do with that seating. This chair has nothing to do
- 4:47with what will the results of of it.
- 4:51The thing is, is we are in the digital space and that one we
- 4:55have to accept. And then also so the thing what
- 5:00the Twitter space and the rest of the platform is just
- 5:04building, making it easy for communication, which it's like
- 5:10the way you use your own Facebook and Twitter.
- 5:14It's up to you like the actual account.
- 5:18Facebook has nothing to do with what you say it doesn't have it
- 5:23doesn't every day doesn't give you ideas.
- 5:25It doesn't for instance, in that meet in those meetings, there
- 5:29was no official from Twitter coming and saying, oh, say this,
- 5:32say that. No, it was more of use the the
- 5:35platforms are here for us to be able to communicate.
- 5:39And also basically it's the age we are no one really like we
- 5:46don't need we don't need a stadium anymore like to just
- 5:51discuss issues. Yeah.
- 5:53So I think the major, the major part for the platform was just
- 5:59the convening, the convenience. Yeah, but trust me, I I think,
- 6:04you know, any other person, especially all of these
- 6:07politicians were shocked or with what was happening during that
- 6:09time. You know, and you when you see
- 6:11this happen, as I said, you know, just earlier, I don't like
- 6:16the idea of these politicians people like are totally talking
- 6:19about and blaming social media for these because when you look
- 6:22at it, they are these protest was just a symptom of the deeper
- 6:26issues affecting young. People right you're.
- 6:28Talking about unemployment, you're talking about high
- 6:30taxation, a lot of issues that are affecting young people.
- 6:33Yeah. And even just not actually
- 6:35everyone because you could see a lot of even older people joining
- 6:37this conversation, joining this, you know, protest, you know,
- 6:40Yeah. So I think the government just
- 6:42avoiding accountability and blinding social media.
- 6:46Yes, I think on on one hand, there's a aspect of how do you
- 6:51put control on something you don't on.
- 6:54Yeah. So we like Africa is still like
- 7:00facing in general Africa. We are still in the in the
- 7:06aspect of like leaders wanting control, which is OK.
- 7:09Like if you are in power and then you want to have control of
- 7:13what is going on and and understanding, right.
- 7:16But in most cases now with like social media, you can't really,
- 7:24you can't really policy people what to say on the channels,
- 7:29right? So the only thing that you can
- 7:32do is instead of blaming, blaming the platforms is as a
- 7:38leader, understand what is going on and then be be be interested
- 7:44and be a participant. Yeah.
- 7:45Then from there, once you have an understanding of what is
- 7:48going on, then use the same channel to communicate to these
- 7:52guys. Yeah.
- 7:54You know, because I think knowing the government of the
- 7:56day, it's, it's, you know, those governments where, you know, you
- 8:00can't put Government Accountability in one sentence
- 8:06with the current government. So they, I mean, they'll,
- 8:08they'll find so many ways to try to avoid and just being
- 8:10responsible, just being accountable for so many things.
- 8:12And that's why you are getting these diversions about social
- 8:14media as the cause of this thing.
- 8:16Why not try and fix what's affecting?
- 8:19Yeah. Like for me, I've I've said like
- 8:22the president has goodwill and the president understands what,
- 8:29what, what needs to be done. But the system, the system is,
- 8:35is not yet fully aligned with the new vision of where
- 8:41President Ruto wants to to take the country.
- 8:43Then also on one hand, we are talking about also some of the
- 8:47leaders who are still lacking integrity in terms of integrity,
- 8:53in terms of how they handle issues.
- 8:57So you'll find sometimes even some of the guys speaking you
- 9:03sort of like, like if you're someone who has gone to school,
- 9:06you understand how government communication works, how public
- 9:10communication works. You you try to say for the
- 9:14message this person is saying and you you like you, you wonder
- 9:20like is this person talking for for himself or has he been given
- 9:26has he or she been given a script?
- 9:29I get to Quantico microphone and say and say this without knowing
- 9:35that like whatever say you wanna say my if you are part of like
- 9:38for instance, common Cabinet 20 MP nanny even if nanny and as
- 9:44even if like the president, the leader might have been doing all
- 9:48this good work trying to to make things work.
- 9:52He used it to Mediaco Moja to blacklist Killa Quito in in So I
- 10:01think nearly to what we need to understand is differentiate
- 10:08zilla congregations like politicians are used to
- 10:15congregations of groups of people.
- 10:17So what you say in that group might not have a bigger impact
- 10:22because not many people who are in that meeting.
- 10:25But you pick this microphone, you pick that camera, you face
- 10:29it, and then you say you you say whatever you say and then you
- 10:34upload it on Facebook. Yeah, upload it on Twitter.
- 10:37You are talking to millions of people, some who might not even
- 10:41have ever had your name. But because of that YouTube
- 10:46hashtag and the the aspect of like the platform to like
- 10:51Facebook has 1.2 billion people. So that's a different, it's a
- 10:57different like way of communication.
- 10:59Yeah. Now should you like I keep
- 11:01seeing for instance, like easy mistakes.
- 11:03Is any these mistakes that for instance, like the MP of the
- 11:08great keeps making, like you are so quick in the heat of the
- 11:12moment, you want to respond sometimes as a leader, just like
- 11:17just like for instance, the way Kibaki used to do week only like
- 11:23there would be so many things being said being said.
- 11:26He's listening like he's listening.
- 11:29But then one afternoon he comes and he references everything
- 11:35that has been going on and he says this is my answer.
- 11:39So whatever this other person said, forget about it.
- 11:42Now here is my official answer and the country.
- 11:47Keeps quiet and keeps quiet. Exactly.
- 11:49And you see, that's why. That's what the leadership
- 11:51means, yeah. Like you should wait, for
- 11:53instance. Sorry.
- 11:54Like you should wait, for instance, even the MPs and all
- 11:56that, wait for the president as the official, if he's the one
- 12:02who is supposed to come and talk about this issue or if it's the
- 12:06government spokesperson who's supposed to come and respond.
- 12:10Just you are in cabinet, for instance, you're an MP, you go
- 12:15make contributions, Alco, advise the president or advise the
- 12:19person who is coming to talk on behalf of the government.
- 12:23Then if you need to make your own, your own remarks, put it
- 12:28very clear according to me. I think like this.
- 12:32But then like you find like guys coming to speak and people they
- 12:37think like citizens, confuse their remarks to the position of
- 12:42the government. Yeah, exactly.
- 12:44And you see, all this is really worrying.
- 12:45And when when we talk about regulations, you know, the case
- 12:52for and against regulation, so many things come into play,
- 12:55right? So when, for example, like
- 12:57actually go and rallies and talk about now we need to say we need
- 13:01to stop these young people from using social media.
- 13:04You know, what kind of regulation are we looking at?
- 13:06You know, are we talking about the China style censorship?
- 13:08Because of course, you know, in China, Yeah, social media
- 13:10regulation is a very, very big, a very serious thing.
- 13:13But you know, I was just reading out an article here that says
- 13:16social media regulation in China is extensive and aims to control
- 13:19content and ensure user compliance with government
- 13:22directives. So I mean, does that mean
- 13:25whatever the government says is what you need to do social
- 13:26media? You know, so this includes
- 13:29requiring real registration, social media platform, because
- 13:33of course we seen a lot of people doing stuff on social
- 13:35online with a lot of pseudo accounts, contact monitoring.
- 13:40We've seen, seen things like censorship in China of specific
- 13:44information that maybe might be deemed harmful or subversive,
- 13:49you know, so a lot of things come into play.
- 13:50So there's the real registration, which actually,
- 13:52you know, in China we need to require to register your real
- 13:56identity. So I think if if you're found
- 13:58doing something using fake kissing Masudo, it's a very
- 14:01serious crime. Then there's this idea of
- 14:04monitoring and and the move of content that is deemed negative.
- 14:08Last year we did an article about how technical, saying it
- 14:10removed almost thousands of content, you know, videos from
- 14:14the platform. Then there's censorship that,
- 14:16you know, certain topics and such terms are blocked,
- 14:19particularly those related to government officials, sensitive
- 14:22historical events. And that's what makes me wonder.
- 14:25I've been to China right so many a couple of times.
- 14:30I really you really see negative things about China.
- 14:33Maybe you see how you read about America, for example, there are
- 14:37a lot of shootings have happened SG those my gun violence.
- 14:43I really hear those such things in China doesn't mean they
- 14:46happen. And, you know, when I was going
- 14:49to, whenever I go to China, when I'm going there and I'm paying
- 14:54for my visa, I don't apply as a as a as a journalist because I
- 14:59think they're really put really into journalists.
- 15:01Yeah. Journalists, Yeah.
- 15:02So you have to do a lot of things.
- 15:04Yeah. So this kind of release, are you
- 15:06looking at the China way according to Ratuli saying, I
- 15:09don't know, it's just it's. On one side, honestly for me
- 15:16from a leadership perspective, there is a need to put control
- 15:21on what some some guys to be honest, some guys misuse their
- 15:25social media. You find like guys like for
- 15:28instance, come is only trolling people Yeah use of like vulgar
- 15:33language like things for instance like you wouldn't do
- 15:37which are illegal then you shouldn't take them online
- 15:41online so that if that kind of law enforcement happens for
- 15:48these platforms then that is a good law enforcement.
- 15:53The only worry is with the for instance camisole remarks is for
- 15:58at all is when you are making when you want to make these
- 16:03regulations. He was speaking as if he's not a
- 16:08citizen. Yeah.
- 16:10He was speaking as if he was like, for instance, like we were
- 16:13in a country of monarchy and we, we sort of like, I think the
- 16:17fact that he's the chairperson of court for. 25 years by. 25.
- 16:24Years and then like. You saw like, this guy's the
- 16:29committee and coming forward and saying no, he's ready for
- 16:35another time. And he was like, and I was like,
- 16:38I thought, I thought this seat should be serving the interest
- 16:46of the interest of like so you can imagine.
- 16:54So now imagine now imagine now having at all now sitting on the
- 17:00seat and then starts making like so I feel I feel like on one
- 17:06hand, enforcement of a proper use of social media should
- 17:15follow the normal legal the way for instance, you know, with
- 17:20catching to threatening people using misinformation.
- 17:27Yeah, pseudo accounts. Those kind of things should
- 17:30start like those effectiveness of those kind of laws are good,
- 17:37but then the democratic rights of people having to use this to
- 17:42discuss about the issues right then that one is shouldn't be.
- 17:50Attached because my my argument is, you know, even as you talk
- 17:53about regulating social media, that means when you're
- 17:55regulating it, you're suppressing free expression,
- 17:59which actually is a position right for me to say whatever I
- 18:02want. Yeah, I think.
- 18:03Most people are control, no. On one hand I disagree on one
- 18:07point. Free expression doesn't mean
- 18:13doesn't mean competition, Manners, yes they normal.
- 18:19They as a normal human being and as a patriotic citizen you
- 18:25should be able to follow this. I'm trying to find this name
- 18:31basically like a good behavior. Yeah.
- 18:37You see, like I if I'm using, for instance, Facebook for my
- 18:40own personal postings and I want people, yes, you'll comment on a
- 18:44name, but you find someone Amanda, I mean to my account and
- 18:49uses that to start to start different.
- 18:53And then also the way we address even like I would see like
- 18:57comments on Twitter and all that.
- 19:00The way we address leaders, the way we address, we address even
- 19:04the leaders themselves, the way they address citizens or Kaduna
- 19:08on a comment on something you see like that is beyond.
- 19:12It's not about it's not about social media.
- 19:15It's about the human behavior and the psychology, the
- 19:20psychology of basically like the relationship and good man, I say
- 19:27I'm yeah, Moto Yeah. So the way basically you can't
- 19:31you can't walk around like cookie to Canada to and do that.
- 19:34Yeah, so should be. Yeah.
- 19:35So what I'm getting is, I mean, you have you agree that there
- 19:39are concerns around misinformation now for content.
- 19:42Those are very concerns, right? Yeah, they have.
- 19:44I mean that's the fact they're valid.
- 19:45That's why we see a lot of even Meta and the likes of others
- 19:48platforms, TikTok, you have content moderators, right?
- 19:51Just ensure the removal of harmful content on their
- 19:54platform. You know, and these concerns are
- 19:56valid, but I think the idea of regulating social media and also
- 20:00suggesting as going the China way, no, you know,
- 20:04constitutionally, constitutionally, I think that
- 20:06will be really infringing on people's freedom rights, which I
- 20:11don't know, I don't know. It's just.
- 20:13We we should do the some place like there are a lot of
- 20:21countries can I live freedom like TZDS could a bit of
- 20:27separation on that Uganda suppression yeah Rwanda bit of
- 20:32suppression but then you find. Rwanda, yeah.
- 20:36You find you find in most cases for me, I tend to think it
- 20:40should be a personal responsibility for for how we
- 20:46consume and the kind of information to let us just say
- 20:53whatever post you make online, if you are hold accountable for
- 20:58that post like be sure this post as I communicate as I write
- 21:05this, it's my footprint. It's my footprint and even
- 21:10followed through to explain I have varied.
- 21:14Reason for what I'm posting and my point is actually, you know,
- 21:18I want us to stick to the what I cannot tell you and the likes
- 21:21are saying so going back to the protest right.
- 21:23So they're saying social media should be regretted because of
- 21:26it's only things like the protest right.
- 21:28But why are they avoiding the real issues affecting young
- 21:30people? Why are the issues affecting
- 21:32people? Because once you fix these
- 21:33things, once you fix unemployment, I mean, trust me,
- 21:37there are countries out here, people are saying very nice
- 21:39things about their countries, their president.
- 21:40Want to see why countries say about nice things about our
- 21:42president, about our country? It's because things are working.
- 21:47Yeah, like what, for instance, the president of Bukina Faso is
- 21:50doing. Yeah, he's a military man.
- 21:52He's not doing it at the at the even in a very nice way and all
- 21:56that. But the results even yourself,
- 22:01even as a citizen, when you look at the results, you are like,
- 22:06hey my man, continue with what you are doing.
- 22:09Even if we don't find you anything you can these results,
- 22:13you are what we can already see. It's enough.
- 22:18There are so many other countries who are under those
- 22:21kind of like regimes, right? But then when you look at the
- 22:26results from the decisions that have been made, when you look at
- 22:31how the, when you are a leader in that, in that, in that
- 22:35country, for instance, you don't spend too much time talking
- 22:38about politics. You don't know the, you know,
- 22:42my, my boss, who is the president expects these exact
- 22:48results. So if we see you around going
- 22:51around making reckless remarks, going around instead of staying
- 22:55in the office and doing the work, and then he doesn't even
- 22:59take a microphone at all. I have no, it's just so like the
- 23:05same way. Like I'm saying like as a
- 23:07person, personal responsibilities and comments
- 23:12should be taken on whoever, whatever.
- 23:15Even if you are giving feedback, how you say it and what you say
- 23:20has a very big impact on whoever is reading.
- 23:25Emma is watching your, your, your content.
- 23:28Because otherwise like you might want to be communicating a
- 23:31certain issue, but the way you communicate it you you will
- 23:35become more insightful than providing a solution.
- 23:39Yeah, yeah. And that's why that I think my
- 23:41point still be like, we need to stop dismissing, you know, the
- 23:46economic realities facing this country.
- 23:47We need to stop dismissing the things that are affecting a lot
- 23:49of young people and even the country in general and just and
- 23:53blame it on social media, right? Because if things are working,
- 23:55as we said, I mean, we have so many things to say about this
- 23:58country, right? But but my other worry is we've
- 24:03seen, we've seen such similar statements being made from a lot
- 24:07of politicians from Lex. We can actually and still end up
- 24:11being implemented. We saw it.
- 24:14I know maybe Mason political bus to come, Agashoggar, for
- 24:17example. You know, when they say, no,
- 24:19we'll impeach this guy, We'll impeach this guy, end up
- 24:22impeaching him. Now they're talking about
- 24:25regular social media and almost all politicians are moving with
- 24:28that script. What will stop them from doing
- 24:30that? They'll be talking about
- 24:32extending the presidential term to seven years, I think.
- 24:36I think where where there's a disconnect is the real question
- 24:46should be who The Who do these people speak on behalf?
- 24:50Yes, yeah, because they speak for.
- 24:53Someone. Yeah, so and I think that's
- 24:56where most leaders have lost it. If you are elected for like a
- 25:01certain constituency, are you speaking on behalf of those
- 25:05people in that constituency? Yeah, they only say.
- 25:11And if you have seen, for instance, the other time, this
- 25:16place when you have an MP whose citizens are demanding before we
- 25:25start a meeting, he needs to be in this meeting to a point like
- 25:30you have to hire a chopper to get him from Nairobi to come to
- 25:35come. That is an MP.
- 25:37And by is doing what he's supposed.
- 25:41And and those, those MPs, you have not had them, you don't
- 25:45hear them talking and all that, right.
- 25:47But in general, my feedback would be let in terms of like,
- 25:55yeah, I wanted to say in terms of like dialogue, the dialogue
- 25:59should stop now being among leaders and be a national
- 26:03dialogue. Dialogue, not not national
- 26:07dialogue led by leaders, national dialogue led by
- 26:12community leaders, community leaders.
- 26:15Let guys come lament because even even like just to take
- 26:20things a bit like biblical, even when Moses guys were up in their
- 26:28heels, they were like, we don't understand what you keep doing.
- 26:32Oh, neither two you go out, you go on top of mountain and then
- 26:36you come say God is saying God is saying when will we see what
- 26:41did? What did Moses do?
- 26:43Moses say if you guys doubt me, then take one of you.
- 26:51Let him go up there and speak to him.
- 26:55If you can't trust what I'm saying, pick one of you guys.
- 27:01Let him or her go and speak with God.
- 27:05So in this case, you're saying like you need to pick everyone
- 27:07from. I mean, we need to pick, you
- 27:09know, committee representation from every community.
- 27:11It should now be, yeah, dialogue so that later I think what for
- 27:19me I'm seeing, and I think I might be, I'm not on overseer.
- 27:23I know that. But what I'm feeling is what the
- 27:27country needs to heal. They need to have an
- 27:31understanding that the president, their leader, the
- 27:35president who they elected, the citizens are looking for an for
- 27:41just an assure. You see, like the way when you
- 27:43are the head of the family, children's are looking for an
- 27:46answer from you. They just need an assurance from
- 27:50you that I hear you come, let us talk.
- 27:55Yeah, because. The same way God God.
- 27:57What does God say in most cases? Like, come, let us talk.
- 28:02Yeah, I think that's the same. And I think that's that's what
- 28:05was really, really failing us. Because you know what is
- 28:08happening, a lot of politicians, they need, you know, as you
- 28:10said, as the head of the family, you need to be friendly to me.
- 28:13But what we are saying is, is them threatening us.
- 28:16Oh, we'll ban social media. Oh, we'll do this.
- 28:18You know you can. You can imagine if you kept on
- 28:23having issues with your children and all that and you said if you
- 28:28continue like this, if you continue like this, if you,
- 28:31there's no solution there. But if you keep quiet and then
- 28:35one afternoon call your children and then tell them if you have
- 28:40many, in this case we have many, we are now like over 50 million
- 28:45Kenyans. So we can't have a national
- 28:48dialogue of 50 million, but we could have a national dialogue
- 28:53of representatives, right? And even if that can't happen,
- 28:58we could start having those communal, communal meetings and
- 29:03then now the final dialogue. And that would take it, will it
- 29:08would quash all these small, small meetings happening among
- 29:13even these are the politicians who are who are not satisfied
- 29:18that one. It will show.
- 29:19Yeah, I as your president, I have had.
- 29:23Yeah. Because you don't, you don't do
- 29:25that. It's that's when we revolt.
- 29:27That's when we go to the street and we start because, you know,
- 29:29I told you. To say, oh, suppress, yeah,
- 29:32suppress the social media. You suppress the social media,
- 29:35people come on the street, they come on the streets.
- 29:41You should deny the international community comes
- 29:45here. Yeah.
- 29:46What are we solving? That is not even as, as we look
- 29:49at this, you know, as we look at the bigger picture, you really
- 29:51believe regulation and freedom of profession actually can
- 29:54actually coexist together. Yeah, it can.
- 29:59It can. Respect for.
- 30:02The rule of law, the laws, just like I'll keep on referencing
- 30:08the Bible, just like even during the time of the 10 commandments,
- 30:14God made the 10 commandment to create order, right?
- 30:19The laws are there for us to have orderly way of doing.
- 30:23Like if it's business, the laws are there for us to have an
- 30:27understanding of how business is to be conducted, All right?
- 30:31The laws of the country are there for us to have an
- 30:35understanding of how to live with each other in a harmonious
- 30:40way. Yeah, right.
- 30:42The laws are not usually there to suppress the poor to
- 30:45suppress. No, they're usually there to
- 30:47help us understand how to do things as a country.
- 30:52Right. So once as a citizen, if we
- 30:55choose to follow the law, then there'll be order.
- 31:00And if we choose to have when there is order, we'll have
- 31:03better way of working. The same way it goes with
- 31:06leaders. As a leader, you if you choose
- 31:10to do things the right way, we won't be having issues with
- 31:14like, oh, we have corruption. I mean, no, of course, sometimes
- 31:18in many cases you'll find the selfishness of US who are
- 31:25leading even in companies, if a leader is selfish, you find
- 31:29they're using resources in inappropriate way.
- 31:33But in, in the, in the case where the law applies, then you
- 31:38find like, OK, look, you are the CEO, you are in charge of this
- 31:42and this, you did this according to the company bylaws.
- 31:48The consequences of this and this is this.
- 31:50So step down. And.
- 31:54Let either investigation continue or step down and let
- 31:59the company have a new leader. Fortunately, that never happens
- 32:01in Kenya, especially the Kenyan politicians.
- 32:03But yeah, but of course the entirety bit around social media
- 32:05regulation, it's something that we can keep talking, you know,
- 32:07from, I don't know, it's a it's a, but we have really unpacked a
- 32:11lot of course from what at all his comments with the big
- 32:13question. Of course, we really control
- 32:15this narrative because when you see these politicians talking
- 32:17about regulating social media, as you see they're speaking on
- 32:20behalf of someone, someone. That's something I forgot.
- 32:25When you ask about the aspect of regulate election and blaming
- 32:29the social media, I think what a trolley is trying to use is a
- 32:33certain concept of shifting the blame from this.
- 32:37So later let us talk about this social media.
- 32:41Social media so that people forget.
- 32:43Yeah, about that. It's not the problem.
- 32:46About this problem. These are the problem.
- 32:48No, let us talk about social media so that we shifted their
- 32:51attentions. But unfortunately the problems
- 32:54people are facing, it's real that people, some people are
- 32:58sleeping hungry. Yes, it's real that people, many
- 33:02young people are on the streets this morning.
- 33:08There's someone this morning who woke up and the evening is
- 33:12coming. He or she doesn't know what to
- 33:15take home. Yeah, because of luck jobs.
- 33:17So it's really like, as a leader, even, like, for me,
- 33:21like, I would be worried. Worried.
- 33:22Now my worry would be if I was in the seat, man, I would be
- 33:27worried because I would be responsible.
- 33:30Yeah, I love you say that they are shifting, you know, like,
- 33:34you know, trying to divert us from a lot of things because it
- 33:38could be the Finance Bill 2025 just being tabled in Parliament.
- 33:41And we're having this podcast talking about this thing just
- 33:45almost a couple of months to marking one year after the last
- 33:48year's demos, which also were involved around the Finance Bill
- 33:502024. And we've seen a lot of you know
- 33:53it will be and his friends and the likes pushing how the new
- 33:56finance between 25 is really good.
- 33:59No new taxi. So I was even asking you why are
- 34:01you telling us this? Please share that document to
- 34:03this or me. We decided.
- 34:04I wanted to say that like that is called assumptive
- 34:08communication. Exactly when you have an
- 34:11assumption that you have not substantiated with with actual
- 34:19with actual data from like for instance, like even I've
- 34:23listened to the interviews of this, like the chairman, the guy
- 34:27who is in charge of the budgeting, you could like I can
- 34:31hear him say and some sometimes he doesn't have answers to some
- 34:35of the questions because he's afraid of the meeting and
- 34:40saying, OK, this has to go to the people for us to so like
- 34:43just share the document, have people read, let people even you
- 34:48see, like for instance, if we had a toll free number for
- 34:53complaints directed to the government, you know that helps
- 34:57you can write you can and then you have a belief that these
- 35:02comments are making will actually be read.
- 35:05But guys now are like I write and then.
- 35:11Exactly. So that fear, that fear should
- 35:13be first of all, address the fear.
- 35:16Have people have have have confidence back into the
- 35:20government. Then as the president, I would
- 35:24suggest like instead of having people speak on your behalf,
- 35:28Yeah, please, Mr. President, call your one agent.
- 35:34Tell them if like anyone who is working for the president, they
- 35:38should report to him. Not one agent.
- 35:40Then let the president or spokesperson of the government
- 35:44communicate. Yeah, the problem about when you
- 35:48talk about such conversation, having we mentioned government,
- 35:50especially the kind of government, we just get angry
- 35:52and you're like, Nah, there's not it.
- 35:54But yeah. Thank you so much, Alan, you
- 35:56know, for your thoughts. I know we are packed a lot, as I
- 35:58said, from of course, at all his comments, which is just.
- 36:01So what are you saying? Yeah.
- 36:05And to the bigger picture and of course, the bigger question
- 36:08actually really controls, you know, this narrative.
- 36:10So if you got any thoughts, and of course we do, we know you do
- 36:15because social media is very plays a very big part in our
- 36:18everyday life, especially for us people in the digital media
- 36:22space, social media is very big part of our lives.
- 36:24So it's 1/2 on social media, tech transmedia.
- 36:27And please, do you think the government should actually
- 36:29regulate social media or should it just focus on fixing the real
- 36:32issues? Of course it has to focus on
- 36:35fixing the real issues. Yep.
- 36:36So make sure to subscribe and leave us a rating as well and
- 36:40share this episode with someone who needs to hide.
- 36:43And of course, listen to this podcast from every other podcast
- 36:47swimming platforms you might be listening from.
- 36:49My name is Nixon Canale. My name is Alan.
- 36:51And we'll see you in the next episode.
- 36:54Peace. Special thanks to production
- 37:02team for making this show possible.
- 37:04The Tech Trans Podcast is produced by Tech Trans Media
- 37:06Studios with sound designed by Portable Voices and research
- 37:10support from Dixon, Canali, Alan Yongira, and the Tech Trans
- 37:13Media editorial team. Don't forget to subscribe,
- 37:16share, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast streaming
- 37:20platform. Until next time, keep
- 37:22innovating, stay informed, and stay ahead with The Tech Trans
- 37:26Podcast.