Hatemongers risk 20 years in jail, Ksh20M fine in new Bill

Hatemongers risk 20 years in jail, Ksh20M fine in new Bill

A new Bill set to be tabled before Parliament will see hatemongers pay a fine of Ksh 20 million or serve a 20 years jail term, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has said.

The CS said that the Cyber Crime Bill provides details on investigation procedures necessary for effective prosecution of hatemongers including criteria for obtaining search warrants for seizure of computer equipment and applications for subscriber information from private and public entities.

The Bill also ensures international cooperation, an aspect that will ensure that a republic is in a position to obtain cross-border computer and cyber-crime assistance not limited to investigations, collection of evidence and obtaining expeditious preservation and collection of traffic data.

Currently the laws present impose a Ksh 10 million fine and a 10 year prison sentence on people found guilty of spreading hate.

The Cyber Crime Bill, set to be presented in Parliament in the next 60 days, was drafted with various stakeholders among them Central Bank of Kenya, Office of the DPP, Kenya Law Reform Commission, Communications Authority of Kenya, National Police Service, Director of Criminal Investigation, Strathmore University among others.

The new developments come amid ongoing cases against eight legislators who were accused of hate speech.

The legislator affiliated to both Jubilee and CORD are accused of making utterances that could pose a threat to national peace.

Those detained were MPs Junet Mohammed (Suna East MP), Timothy Bosire (Kitutu Masaba MP), Women Representatives Aisha Jumwa (Kilifi) and Florence Mutua (Busia) and Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama from CORD and Jubilee MPs Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Ferdinand Waititu (Kabete) and Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati).

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