Cyber security or Censorship?

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October 21, 2025

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Last Wednesday, Kenyans woke to a swirl of rumours and anxious scrolling, all asking the same question; had the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga died?

Meanwhile, in the house on the hill…

President William Ruto had signed into law the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Amendment) Act, 2024, giving the government sweeping powers to block websites and online applications it considers harmful. Those powers now rest with the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee, a body dominated by security officials and allowed to act without a court order.

In the corridors of power, the internet has evolved into the new opposition. What began as hashtags and viral TikToks during last year’s Finance Bill protests clearly left a scar on the political class.

And since then, the government has not concealed its intention to tame that defiance. Nothing does it better than laws that let security agencies decide which websites, apps, or voices are too dangerous to exist. The justification, as always, is national security.

But behind the talk of “online safety” lies something older and more familiar: political insecurity. For a ruling class that has long thrived on control, the chaotic democracy of the digital age has become intolerable.

Critics have repeatedly warned that the law is vague, and could blur the line between fighting cybercrime and punishing dissent. The state insists there is nothing to fear, but trust does not materialize that easily in a countries with weak democratic institutions and captured state organs...

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Your Opinion

Do you think the new cybercrimes law will make online interactions safer or is it just a tool for frustrating political dissent?

Betting on Spiro's Two-wheeled Revolution

By TKWS Staff writer

Spiro e-bike

A hundred million dollars will now power Africa’s electric two-wheel revolution. Spiro’s latest funding, led by Afreximbank’s FEDA arm, signals more than investor confidence; it’s a vote for a cleaner, faster continent on the move.

In cities like Kigali and Nairobi, battery swapping has become the new refueling, and riders are discovering profit in sustainability. Spiro’s promise of 100,000 bikes by year’s end feels less like ambition than inevitability.

What began as an experiment in green transport has matured into an industrial strategy. The hum of electric engines is fast becoming the new sound of African commerce.

Read the full article here >>>>>

The Cassava Experiment

By Fred Obura

Kenya is finally inching toward commercialising genetically modified cassava; a crop long trapped in regulatory limbo.

The move promises to protect farmers from devastating mosaic and brown streak diseases that have quietly drained rural incomes for years. But as NEMA invites public comments, the debate over safety and sovereignty flares again, louder than the science behind it.

Meanwhile, every season of hesitation costs farmers billions and deepens food insecurity. The question is : can Kenya trust its labs enough to feed its people?

Happening this week

Join us on Thursday, 23rd October at 6:00 PM EAT, for a live webinar hosted by @AndrewWBarden , CEO of The Kenyan Wall Street, in partnership with the European Investment Bank @EIB .
Our speakers Adolfo Alonso Cires, Aéko Ongodia, and Mercy Kimalat will explore how private
— Kenyan Wall Street (@kenyanwalstreet)
11:03 AM • Oct 15, 2025

How An Ambitious Fintech Imploded

By Harry Njuguna

PayU’s Kenyan experiment has ended the way many foreign fintech ventures do…under regulatory notice. The Central Bank of Kenya’s revocation of its licence and the company’s subsequent liquidation closed its short, unremarkable chapter in Kenya’s fast-evolving payments market.

For all its global muscle, PayU never managed to dislodge M-Pesa’s hold on local commerce or alter habits shaped by years of mobile money convenience. It came with capital, technology, and ambition, but little understanding of the peculiar intimacy between Kenyan consumers and their payment tools.

Read the full article here »»»»»

Insight

How Corporate Ride-Hailing Drives Real Business Efficiency and Transparency

By Andrew Barden

Corporate ride-hailing isn’t so glamorous, but it’s the kind of quiet revolution that makes a company breathe easier. Expense chaos vanishes, accountants reclaim their sanity, and staff stop haggling with matatus on deadlines. Every tap of “Request Ride” feels like oiling the gears of an overworked machine. It’s not just transport but discipline disguised as convenience. Efficiency has never felt so necessary.

Read this article here »»»»»