Information, communication and technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has assured the country that the government has no plans of shutting down the internet during and after the August 9, elections.
While speaking at a breakfast meeting with Kenya Editors Guild on Wednesday, August 3, the CS reiterated that the government will uphold democracy at all times and not silence anyone.
“We are not shutting down the internet. We enjoy a democratic space and we assure you that there will be no internet shutdown,” said Mr Mucheru
The CS further stated that his ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Interior led by CS Fred Matiang’i to ensure that communications are not disrupted especially in tallying centers.
“We assure you that if there are any fake tallies, they are going to be dealt with. Security in our country is paramount and ensuring so is having a clear communication method,” Mr Mucheru said.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has allowed political parties, candidates and the media to tally and tabulate their own results, but has warned them against making any declaration, which is a constitutional preserve of the elections agency.
Safaricom on the other hand has put in place measures to ensure elections results are transmitted on time.
The telco’s chief executive officer said the firm had instituted a network freeze, which means blocking any network maintenance to ensure its smooth operation.
“We have now instituted a network freeze. This means that there are no new products and no one is going to do work to maintain the network unless there is an emergency. This is to avoid any interruptions or an outage in the network,” Mr Ndegwa said.