By Carey Mulindi
The recent motion by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to develop a common framework for the regulation of social media within East African Community (EAC) member states is a double-edged sword.
While it promises harmonisation and responsible online behavior, it also risks being turned into a regional tool for silencing dissent and curtailing freedoms if clear safeguards are not enforced.
This motion, led by Kenyan EALA MP Falhada Dekow Iman, comes at a time when digital freedoms are under threat in the region. From the controversial use by Kenya's government of the 2018 Cybercrimes Act to jail critics to the Democratic Republic of Congo's Digital Code -- which saw journalists imprisoned -- the trend is unmistakable: governments are weaponizing cyber laws.
The creation of a regional standard should not mean copying and pasting repressive elements from existing laws. If anything, it must be an opportunity to reset and build a rights-centered framework.
For any policy to be truly effective, it has to be transparent and inclusive, and above all, protective of freedom of expression as enshrined in national constitutions and international human rights treaties.
Setting up an EAC multi-stakeholder digital governance forum is a step in the right direction-if civil society, tech experts, and the public are truly at the table. The proposed study into the social and economic impacts is also commendable, but it should be independent and not commissioned in an effort to justify any future censorship.
East Africans are not just digital consumers; they are active citizens. Any regulation of online spaces must not be used as an excuse to shrink civic space.
Only a unified framework that enables democracy, protects speech, and checks government overreach is acceptable. Otherwise, this motion will be a regional license for suppression.
The writer is a photo journalist working with Royal Media Services (RMS) currently based in Nairobi.
