The influence of social media on Kenya's politics has raised concerns as the country approaches the 2027 polls. A recent incident involving a friend of an opposition presidential candidate highlighted the issue. The friend reported that their campaign videos were repeatedly flagged for alleged community-guideline violations on a social media platform, while live broadcasts were sometimes terminated without warning. This has sparked debate about the role of privately owned platforms in shaping political competition.
The issue is not unique to Kenya, with Brazil experiencing a similar situation during its 2026 presidential runoff. Allegations emerged that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, had restricted content associated with President Luiz Inácio Lula while giving greater visibility to his challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro. Lula's campaign complained of reduced reach and restrictions on boosting posts, with reports indicating that Lula's campaign had been unable to boost certain Instagram posts for almost 24 hours.
Meta denied favouritism and attributed the incidents to technical failures. However, digital rights organisation CTRL+Z documented over 1,100 reports of restrictions affecting political content, including reduced reach, account suspensions, and limits on commenting and sharing. The organisation called for transparent moderation criteria, human review, and timely responses to complaints. Brazil's electoral court subsequently ordered Meta to ensure equal treatment of candidates and avoid restrictions that could create an electoral imbalance.
Other countries have also experienced similar issues. In Germany, the Federal Constitutional Court ordered Facebook in 2019 to temporarily restore a political party's page after it was blocked ahead of European Parliament elections. Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the presidential electoral process in December 2024 due to concerns about coordinated online manipulation, including the use of TikTok to amplify a candidate's campaign.
Kenya has its own experience with social media and politics. Research by the Mozilla Foundation found that Facebook and Instagram carried political advertisements that breached election-related rules during the 2022 polls. The organisation identified 52 advertisements that violated election silence requirements or platform advertising policies, raising concerns about how consistently platforms enforce their own rules.
Social media has become a critical tool for political mobilisation, public debate, civic education, and access to information in Kenya. However, the companies that operate these platforms exercise considerable control over political visibility. They decide what is removed, which accounts are restricted, which advertisements are approved, and how algorithms recommend information. This has raised concerns about the impact on electoral integrity.
To address these concerns, Kenya needs to ask difficult questions about the role of social media in its politics. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Communications Authority, and Office of the Data Protection Commissioner should consider how their respective mandates can help protect electoral integrity online. This includes implementing transparent political advertising rules, disclosing who pays for campaign content, and providing independent scrutiny of platform moderation.
Key points
- Social media platforms have significant control over political visibility in Kenya.
- The influence of social media on Kenya's politics has raised concerns about electoral integrity.
- Kenya needs to implement transparent rules and regulations to protect electoral integrity online.
