Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has threatened legal action against social media platform, X, formerly Twitter, for allegedly denying him access to his account.
In his petition to the Senate to investigate the management of the international firm over what he termed as ‘infringement’ and ‘malicious actions’, the lawmaker charged that the X-Corporation has denied him access to his verified account since November 2023.
“I believe X Corporation’s, formerly Twitter, actions warrant an investigation by the Kenyan Government and this Parliament and require diplomatic engagement with the American government,” said Cherargei in a statement on the floor.
According to Cherargei, his efforts to reach the firm to recover his account have been futile with the firm remaining unresponsive, adding that he had 329,700 followers at the time he was blocked.
“I have an important channel of engagement between myself and the public. These malicious actions violate my freedom of speech and set a dangerous precedent. Despite repeated emails and a formal demand letter, the X-corporation has remained unresponsive. This silence equates to the muzzling of an important channel,” said the Nandi lawmaker.
In his statement, Cherargei also demanded Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo should initiate formal communication with the US-based social media firm, ‘outlining the violation of Kenyan law and expressing strong condemnation of the action and discriminatory implications.’
“We cannot allow multinational corporations to operate with impunity. If a sitting Senator can experience this, it raises questions about how Kenyan citizens and African citizens would be treated in similar circumstances,” charged the Senator.
Further, the lawmaker wants Owalo to provide a detailed report on the existing mechanisms of the Government’s action and recourse for Kenyans facing similar prejudice.
