The move by Twitter, a microblogging and social networking platform, to ban political advertisements is set to further isolate a big chunk of the of the Kenyan population from participating in public affairs, experts have warned.
Up to 50.9 percent Kenyans listed in the voters’ register are young people and agencies such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission as well as political parties have increasingly relied on the platform to influence them to take part in civic activities.
The country which is presently engrossed in referendum debate faces another general election in the next three years.
The move by Twitter, a microblogging and social networking platform, to ban political advertisements is set to further isolate a big chunk of the of the Kenyan population from participating in public affairs, experts have warned.
Up to 50.9 percent Kenyans listed in the voters’ register are young people and agencies such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission as well as political parties have increasingly relied on the platform to influence them to take part in civic activities.
The country which is presently engrossed in referendum debate faces another general election in the next three years.
“Honestly I pity the political class who are about to lose an outreach channel to the core voting bloc. Twitter should rethink its decision to maybe seek ways of sieving out misleading information instead of imposing a ban,” said Frankline Mukwanja, the executive director of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy.
“Kenya is demographically very young and with its high Internet penetration and smart phone ownership, such a decision (by Twitter) will further isolate an already marginalised group of citizens,” he told the Business Daily in a phone interview.
Local politicians have in the recent past embraced social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. While Kenyans generally regard Twitter as elitist, the platform is usually used by companies and politicians to disseminate information.
Vice-President William Ruto and Opposition leader Raila Odinga are some of the local politicians with the greatest twitter following currently standing at 2.4 million and 2.3 million, respectively.
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said on Wednesday that the network would put a stop on political advertising on its platform.
“While Internet advertising is incredibly powerful and very effective for commercial advertisers, that power brings significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions,” said Dorsey in a series of tweets.
Twitter’s decision comes as Facebook faces pressure to stop spread of political misinformation.
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