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Social media has emerged as a powerful accountability tool with Kenyans turning to various platforms to call out rogue officials, demand accountability from institutions and share their experiences in ways that have consistently delivered results.
Platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have transformed from spaces for casual interactions into digital courtrooms where frustrated Kenyans turn to for swift action.
These thriving digital courtrooms are reshaping how governance and service delivery are scrutinised in the country with a digitally empowered population routinely exposing misconduct, inefficiency, and corruption by public officials and private institutions while also sharing their experiences.
Accountability at the click of a button: Kenya’s online accountability movement
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Fuelled by the hashtag effect in which incident-specific hashtags unite online communities in the pursuit of action, transparency, justice or accountability, personal experiences shared on social media quickly turn into trending topics that are often picked by mainstream media, expanding impact.
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This week has seen the digital courtrooms of social media exceptionally busy.
Prosecutors also had a busy day unpacking the unpleasant experience of a Kenyan who shared his ordeal at a leading public referral hospital at the hands of a staff who has since been suspended.
The hospital responded swiftly with a statement and action to remedy the situation and disowning the actions of the staff in question.
A transport company also found itself in the courts of social media after the plight of one of its drivers who survived a road accident earlier this year made it online.
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The company released a lengthy statement detailing its version of the truth and explaining how it has handled the issue thus far and dispelling the claims that were swirling on social media in a powerful indication of the power of social media to get matters to the attention of concerned entities.
Challenges & risks as Kenyans turn to hashtags for justice and action
While the trend which is driven by a frustrated but digitally empowered population armed with smartphones and internet access has its benefits, it comes with several pitfalls.
Social media enthusiast Mercy Wanjiku who works as a social media manager for a local startup notes that while the benefits outweigh the risks especially where official complaint channels are often slow, unresponsive or opaque, digital activism comes with several pitfalls.
She notes that unverified claims damage reputations with the potential of sparking legal battles for defamatory or false accusations.
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Misinformation has a way of spreading rapidly and undoing the damage may be a tall order even when the truth finally comes to light.
In several instances, constructive engagement and facts are lost in the mix of emotions with online mobs employing tactics that cyberbullying.
As Kenya continues to embrace social media, what was once a tool for entertainment has evolved into a watchdog and become a formidable check in the modern era where accountability is only a post away.