NAIROBI, Kenya Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Igonga is warning of increased political incitement online ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He says politicians are exploiting legal gaps created after Sections 22 and 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act were declared unconstitutional.
“I can tell you we have an uphill task to deal with politicians because again they gain through these processes when they know there is that vacuum that’s how they get that’s what how they they win because we we know politicians who win through violence.”
“Some of us have been here for some time. We have been in electoral. I can I can tell you I know a number of MPs who got elected because of violence. Without violence they wouldn’t have won,” he said.
The DPP confirmed his office has sought guidance from the Supreme Court on Sections 22 and 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.
Igonga observed that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions plays a critical role in ensuring that breaches of electoral law and attempts to compromise electoral integrity result in firm legal consequences.
He says clarity is needed to enable law enforcement and prosecutors to respond effectively to cyber-enabled offences ahead of the 2027 elections.
Igonga also says Kenya must confront electoral violence, noting that some politicians have previously benefited from violence to win elections.
He called for a candid national conversation on laws that have been declared unconstitutional, questioning whether their removal is always in the country’s best interests.
The DPP says laws are enacted through Parliament, whose members are elected to represent Kenyans.
He argues that when provisions are challenged in court, the country should carefully consider the implications of declaring them unconstitutional, particularly where they are intended to address threats to public order and electoral security.
