Uzoma Odera

Kenyans on social media have launched the #RejectCyberCrimeLaw campaign in response to President William Ruto’s signing of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2024, framing it as a direct threat to constitutional freedoms of expression, privacy, and assembly. The new law expands the state’s authority over the digital space by allowing authorities to block websites or apps, monitor online communications, and criminalize a broader range of online activities, which will severely limit freedom of expression. Its signing on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, the very day the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga passed away, has fueled widespread suspicion among netizens, who view the timing as a deliberate tactic to push the controversial legislation through while public attention was focused on national mourning. On the same day, President Ruto also signed seven other bills touching on privatization of state-owned enterprises, reforms to land management and the National Land Commission, amendments to policing and the National Police Service Commission, updates to wildlife conservation laws, regulation of virtual assets, and adjustments to air passenger charges, a batch of measures that collectively represent a sweeping set of changes enacted while the nation was busy observing the passing of a national leader.