The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) in partnership with Article 19 will be holding the Internet and Law Kenya workshop slated for 29th of August in Mombasa. The workshop which will discuss issues around communication laws, `the legal system, defamation among other topics will take place at the MEWA Library in Majengo.
Bloggers in Kenya have in the recent months got into trouble with the law after being sued for various offences. Blogger and activist Abraham Mutai was arrested following his expose on the corruption in Isiolo county and detained for over 48 hours as he was being questioned. Police accused him misusing a licensed communication platform to cause anxiety among the members of public.
Another blogger Robert Alai has been in and out of court on accusations of defamation, alongside posting annoying tweets that caused inconvenience or needless anxiety to individuals. The most recent case is that of blogger Cyprian Nyakundi who has been taken to court by Safaricom for defamation for offensive articles that were termed as ‘unsubstantial and unsupported. Nyakundi is also in the eye of the storm following audio clips that were leaked recently where he and Christian Dela are purportedly heard trying to extort sh40 million from BIDCO.
The Bloggers Association of Kenya undertakes training of bloggers as part of its mandate. BAKE creates awareness on the status of online freedoms and how to protect these freedoms, building a network of the region’s actors in this domain, and advocacy to engender a more progressive digital rights regime in Kenya. A few months ago, the organization released a report on the state of blogging and social media use in Kenya.
Article 19 is a London-based human rights organization with a specific mandate and focus on the defense and promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide. The Article 19 East Africa offices conduct training and advocacy to institutions and individuals on freedom of information and expression.
This workshop is part of a series across the country. Already, it has been held in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Nyeri.
The training for the workshop will undertaken by Mr. Mugambi Laibuta, an Advocate of the High court and Riva Jalipa of Article 19.
