The day has been full of action as Kenyans head out to the streets in major cities and towns across the country to protest against the proposed Finance Bill 2024 which is currently in its second reading session at Parliament in Nairobi.
However, these protests have seen unfortunate events take place, especially over the last few days as prominent social media users and influencers have been abducted by unknown armed men in broad daylight and the middle of the night. This has sparked even more anger and frustration among Kenyans online as they look to also demand that all these individuals be freed immediately. This was a statement that was reiterated in today’s Parliament session as members of the opposition demanded that the authorities release the abducted persons with immediate effect.
Among the many discussions raised were inquiries about who is helping these armed men locate these individuals so easily. Safaricom, the country’s major telco has seemed to be the name rising as many Kenyans now believe that it is working to leak their locations through their registered SIM lines to the abductors. This sentiment was amplified even by Hanifa Farsafi, one of the most prominent voices in these ongoing protests.
Safaricom immediately went to social media replying to these posts, especially on Twitter stating that they do not share customer data unless where it’s explicitly against a court order and that there has been no order served to them. Safaricom have now come out with an official statement denying any involvement in leaking any data belonging to their customers.
The statement reads:
Safaricom notes the online conversations on data privacy.
We respect our customers’ privacy and adhere strictly by the country’s data protection laws. As such we do not share any customer data unless explicitly required of us via a court order.
On the current issue in discussion, we confirm that we have not received any court order requiring us to share customer information with any government agency.
As the protests go on for the better part of the day in the streets and on social media platforms as well, we can expect tensions to rise as Kenyans seek for the total rejection of the Finance Bill 2024.
