Without a doubt, the debate around the amended Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act that is being held in the public domain has been described by the Chair of the National Assembly Communication, Information, and Innovation Committee John Kiarie as a bunch of lies and that no sane person can take such a debate seriously.
Kiarie reasoned out that the adjustments to the law in fact were geared towards protecting children from online harm and made provisions for security to fight against terrorism and cyber threats rather than limiting people’s freedom of expression.
“The modifications aim at protecting children from child pornography and also at making it possible for the law to be used in the most efficient manner in the fight against cyber-related terrorism. Freedom of expression is still there and is guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.
It is worth noting that the Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie, the moment he learnt of the recent court ruling moving towards the postponement of certain parts of the law enforcement, he wondered how it came to be that almost simultaneously in 2018 the judiciary had approved these provisions.
Kiarie called on the public to take part in debate that is productive and be mindful of the information they get. Besides, he pointed out that Parliament’s desire was to have people feel safer in the tech world rather than letting them know that their rights were being curtailed.