Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th May 2025
Great Rift Valley Lodge
Naivasha, Kenya
Introduction
Internews, KICTANet, and UNESCO are partnering to host a three-day workshop aimed at equipping 50 digital rights stakeholders drawn from the FeCoMo and KenSafeSpaces CSO local network with critical knowledge and tools on the protection of online freedom of expression and governance of digital platforms in Kenya. This workshop integrates key elements from UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) project, now in its second phase, and the KenSafeSpaces project, both funded by the European Union. The initiative seeks to strengthen the capacities of stakeholders to navigate Kenya’s evolving digital landscape while promoting peace, safeguarding human rights, and fostering inclusive governance of digital platforms.
Background
Kenya’s digital ecosystem has become a critical space for communication, activism, and governance. However, it also presents new challenges, cyberbullying, misinformation, hate speech, and online exploitation, issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups like children, youth, and women. These challenges are compounded by limited expertise among digital rights actors in areas such as content moderation, platform governance, and digital safety.
In recent years, Kenya has witnessed a rise in online harms, including cyberbullying, child exploitation, and misinformation campaigns that negatively impact democratic participation and human rights advocacy. As digital engagement grows, digital rights actors play a crucial role in advocating for the protection of vulnerable groups from online risks. However, many of these organisations lack the necessary expertise and resources to navigate digital governance, identify online threats, and implement effective digital safety measures.
Recent developments, such as the implementation of Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 and discussions around platform accountability highlight the urgency for civil society actors to remain engaged in shaping digital governance. Events like the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests have demonstrated the potential of digital spaces for civic participation, but with their susceptibility to risks like misinformation, disinformation, data breaches, and surveillance. This workshop aims to address these issues by strengthening the capacities and understanding of national actors on the harms derived from digital platforms and the online space. This initiative will contribute to a more resilient and informed civil society capable of advocating for and safeguarding human rights in digital spaces.
Objectives
The workshop aims to achieve the following objectives:
- To equip stakeholders with knowledge on digital safety, content moderation, freedom of expression, and governance of digital platforms, to protect vulnerable groups online.
- To raise awareness of emerging challenges in regulating online freedom of expression while balancing human rights and democratic values
- To strengthen the capacities of stakeholders to address cyber threats, misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and other related online safety issues
- To enhance the participation of stakeholders in digital governance discussions at the national and regional levels.
- To build resilience and response capacities of digital rights stakeholders.
Expected Outcomes
- Enhanced knowledge among 50 participants on emerging challenges related to the regulation of the online space, digital safety, freedom of expression, content moderation, and governance of digital platforms, digital rights.
- Increased awareness among participants about context-specific issues such as hate speech, disinformation, and harmful content affecting peace-building efforts.
- Strengthened advocacy capacity among stakeholders to participate in key policy discussions on digital policy at both national and regional levels.
- Creation of an active coalition and networks promoting digital rights and governance across their respective regions.
Target Audience:
50 members of Kensafespace and FeCoMo coalitions, including grassroots CSOs from across Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, and Nakuru.
SM4P (Phase II) and KenSafeSpace Workshop on Safeguarding the Digital Space in Kenya
Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th May 2025
Great Rift Valley Lodge
Naivasha, Kenya
Program Line-Up
| Day 1: Wednesday, 07 May 2025 | ||
| Time | Session: | Moderator/ Facilitator |
| 08:00 – 08.30 am |
– Objectives of the workshop
|
Organisers |
| 08.30 – 09.45 am | Session 1: Updates on Ongoing Work (FeCoMo + KENSAFE) | FeCoMo + KENSAFE |
| 09:45 – 11.00 am | Session 2: Emerging Issues in the Digital Space:
AI, Online Safety, Cybersecurity, Climate, Data Governance, DPI and Digital Public Sphere Presenter: Victor Kapiyo (KICTANet) Q&A session
|
Rachel Olpengs, ACEPIS |
| 11.00 – 11.30 am | TEA BREAK | |
| 11:30 am – 1.00 pm | Session 3: Key Issues and Emerging Challenges in Regulating Online Platforms
Presenter: Muthuri Kathure, Mozilla Q&A session
|
John Okande (UNESCO) |
| 1.00 – 2.00 pm | LUNCH BREAK | |
| 2.00 – 3.00 pm | Session 4: Privacy in the Digital Age
Presenter: Valarie Waswa, KICTANet Q&A session
|
Daniel Odongo, USHAHIDI |
| 3.00 – 4.00 pm | Session 5: Policy Priority Pitch
Q&A session
|
Nicodemus Nyakundi
(KICTANet) |
| 4.00 – 4.30 pm | Group Presentations | |
| 4.30 pm – | Tea Break and End of the Day’s Session | All |
| Day 2: Thursday, 08 May 2025 | ||
| Time | Session: | Proposed Moderator/Facilitator |
| 08.00 – 08.30 am | Recap of Day 1 | |
| 08.30 – 09.30 am | Session 6: ICT Policy-Making Process in Kenya
Presenter: Rosemary Mwangi, Communications Authority Q&A session
|
Jacob Nyongesa, MCK |
| 09.30 10.30 am | Session 7: Regulatory Approaches from Other Jurisdictions
Presenter: Victor Kapiyo, KICTANet Q&A session
|
Abraham Mariita, Internews |
| 10:30 – 11.00 am | TEA BREAK | |
| 11.00 – 12.00 pm | Session 8: Building Effective Reporting Mechanisms
Presenter: Abraham Mariita (Internews) Q&A session
|
Immaculate Onyango |
| 12.00 pm – 1.00 pm | Session 9: Monitoring sentiments and trends on social media – Presentation of the Phoenix Application
Presenter: Caleb Gichuhi, Build Up (facilitator) + Allan Cheboi (Build Up) |
Viola Konji (Qhala + FeCoMo) |
| 1.00 – 2.00 pm | LUNCH BREAK | |
| 2.00 – 2.30 pm | Session 10: Expert review of the draft National Guidelines for Addressing Disinformation and Hate Speech in Kenya
Presenters: Kyalo Mwengi (NCIC) and Rosemary Mwangi (CA) Q&A session
|
Prof Charles Nyambuga (Maseno University) |
| 2.30 – 4.00 pm | Group Discussions and Presentations
|
Kyalo Mwengi and Lyndcey Oriko, (NCIC) |
| 4.00 – 4.30 pm | Tea break | |
| Day 3: Friday, 09 May 2025 | ||
| Time | Session: | Proposed Moderator/Facilitator |
| 08.00 am – 08.30 am | Recap of Day 2 | Nicodemus Nyakundi, KICTANet |
| 08.30 am – 09.30 am | Session 11: Knowledge Sharing: Building Relationships with Regional and International Networks
Presenter: Muthuri Kathure, Mozilla |
Abraham Mariita, Internews |
| 09.30 am – 10.30 am | Session 12: Coalition Building in Kenya – Highlights from Recent Case Studies
Presenter: Nicodemus Nyakundi, KICTANet |
Rachel Olpengs (ACEPIS) |
| 10.30 am – 11.00 am | TEA BREAK | |
| 11.00 am – 1.00 pm | Session 13: Overview of FeCoMo Coalition and Coordination Mechanisms
Presenter: John Okande |
Rosemary Mwangi, CA |
| 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm | LUNCH BREAK | |
| 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm | Session 14: Identifying Joint Advocacy Opportunities for FeCoMo, KenSafe Initiatives and Trust Lab?
Speakers: John Okande, Abraham Mariita, Mitchelle Awuor |
Valarie Waswa, KICTANet |
| 3.00 pm – 4.00 pm | Session 15: Upcoming events and representations.
Presenters: All Organisations |
Victor Kapiyo, KICTANet |
| 4.00 pm – 4.30 pm |
|
KICTANet, Internews and UNESCO |
Rapporteurs: Noreen Wekati (ACEPIS), Shampi Anna (Northern Vision)
About the Organisers
KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder platform that catalyses policy reforms in the ICT sector. It is guided by four pillars: policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and research. KICTANet’s guiding philosophy encourages synergies for ICT policy-related activities and initiatives. The network provides mechanisms and a framework for continuing cooperation and collaboration in ICT matters among industry, the technical community, academia, media, development partners, and the Government.
UNESCO is a specialised UN agency dedicated to strengthening our shared humanity through the promotion of education, science, culture, and communication. It sets standards, produces tools and develops knowledge to create solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time, and fosters a world of greater equality and peace. Protecting biodiversity, responding to artificial intelligence, advancing quality education, safeguarding heritage, and ensuring access to reliable information are some examples of the work that UNESCO does with its 194 Member States across the globe.
Internews believes everyone deserves trustworthy news and information to make informed decisions about their lives and hold power to account. We train journalists and digital rights activists, tackle disinformation and offer business expertise to help media outlets become financially sustainable. We support independent media in 100+ countries, from radio stations in refugee camps to hyper-local news outlets to individual activists and reporters. We’ve helped our partners reach millions of people with quality, local information that saves lives, improves livelihoods, and holds institutions accountable.
The Social Media 4 Peace project, currently in phase II, is a UNESCO EU-funded initiative which seeks to strengthen the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content spread online, in particular hate speech inciting violence, while protecting freedom of expression and enhancing the promotion of peace through digital technologies, notably social media.
FeCoMo – the National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation is a multi-stakeholder coalition that brings together tech stakeholders, academia, government, think tanks and civil society organisations to foster collaboration in addressing online harmful content, particularly disinformation and hate speech, while safeguarding freedom of expression in Kenya.
The Kenya Safe and Inclusive Digital Space (KenSafeSpace) Action is a 30-month project funded by the European Union, implemented by Internews, Internet Without Borders (IWB) and KICTANet. This initiative aims to amplify Kenyan human rights organisations’ voice, capacity, and influence to advocate for a democratic, safe, and inclusive digital environment. The consortium also collaborates with organisations such as the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), Tribeless Youth, Mzalendo Trust, and Watoto Watch Network (WWN) to support advocacy and research activities.
