FREEDOM CAFÉ

Defending information integrity in a digital democracy

Election periods in Kenya often bring normal life to a near standstill, turning weekends into a non-stop campaign trail across churches, rallies, entertainment spots and increasingly, social media platforms.

But as technology evolves, politicians and other actors have gained more sophisticated tools to influence public opinion, making the battle for electoral narratives harder to control.

Kenya’s large and increasingly connected youth population makes the digital space particularly important during elections. In the 2022 General Election, young people aged 18 to 34 accounted for about 40 per cent of the 22.12 million registered voters, according to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The potential reach of political messaging has also grown alongside internet and social media use.

Kenya had 23.4 million internet users at the end of 2025, while 18.4 million social media user identities were recorded in October that year, according to data by DataReportal. The same statistics showed that 78.5 per cent of Kenya’s internet users were using at least one social media platform.

That digital footprint creates opportunities for politicians to promote their policies and engage voters, but also makes it easier to fabricate stories, exaggerate development achievements and circulate unverified claims about political rivals.

Democracy at Risk

Algorithms can further amplify such material, allowing emotionally charged content to travel rapidly among audiences already inclined to engage with it. While social media can be used for positive messaging, concerns over misinformation and manipulation are raising questions about its impact on democratic stability.

These concerns were at the centre of a recent Freedom Cafe forum convened by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Kenya, bringing together journalists, politicians, civil society groups, technology experts and government officials.

FNF Kenya Country Director Ralf Erbel warned in his opening remarks that misinformation, hate speech and AI-generated content were contributing to global polarisation, including in Germany, while eroding trust in democratic processes. Africa Check Kenya Country Director Alphonse Shiundu demonstrated how content creators can disguise false claims as casual banter, while politicians can use similar channels to push favourable narrative, cautioning that mainstream media outlets can add to public confusion when they publish conflicting or inaccurate information. However, the problem is not limited to what individual users choose to post.

Dr Shikoh Gitau, a Kenyan computer scientist, argued that the technology underpinning online platforms can itself shape what audiences see and believe. She cited research showing that biased narratives cost the African continent $4.2 billion annually, while warning about the influence of social media algorithms on modern elections.

“The AI tools know the information they have fed you, and they make sure the user’s brain connects the dots in a certain way,” Dr Gitau said.

The influence of algorithms is particularly consequential in Kenya because social media has become a major source of information and political discussion.

Siasa Place Executive Director Nerima Wako said the problem was also evident in the experience of civic organisations trying to communicate with audiences online, particularly instances where civic education material was flagged by social media platforms while content containing hate speech continued circulating.

“Algorithms do not favour us,” Wako said. “It is becoming clear that the big tech companies are thriving on toxicity.”

Content Creator's Role in pushing Information Integrity

That environment puts another layer of responsibility on the people producing content driving the country’s digital creator economy. With social media audiences growing rapidly, creators face pressure to produce material capable of generating immediate engagement.

Digital creator Tatiana Gicheru said the competition for attention could encourage creators to use increasingly provocative approaches.

“For something to go viral, you have to tap into people’s emotions,” Gicheru said.

At the forum, an IEBC representative recalled a case from the 2022 General Election, when a false claim circulated that a candidate had received a massive number of votes in Australia. Australia was not among the designated diaspora voting locations for that election, highlighting how easily an implausible claim can be presented as an electoral fact and gain attention online.

The stakes are even higher as artificial intelligence becomes more accessible. Currently, AI tools can now produce convincing text, images, audio and video at a fraction of the time and cost previously required, making it increasingly difficult for audiences to distinguish authentic political communication from manipulated material.

Yet the same technology that creates new risks could also give African countries greater control over how they are represented online.

Africa’s Role in Information Integrity

Africa has one of the world’s youngest populations, and AI is projected to contribute as much as $1.2 trillion to the continent’s economy by 2030.

Dr. Gitau urged Africans to shape AI data, noting that real-time content, like streamer iShowSpeed’s recent tour, is already challenging long-standing foreign stereotypes of the continent as underdeveloped.

“If we do not shape the narrative of Africa, the only thing known on the web will shape that narrative,” Dr Gitau said.

Part of that effort is already taking place within Africa’s technology sector, with local firms working to integrate African languages and cultural contexts into AI systems.

Such efforts could help reduce the distortion that occurs when local expressions and meanings are processed through systems built primarily around foreign languages and datasets.

But technology alone cannot resolve the problem.

Individual Effort: Key to Information Integrity

As Kenya approaches another electoral cycle, the credibility of information circulating online will depend as much on human behaviour as it does on the platforms carrying it.

Politicians have a responsibility to avoid deliberately misleading voters, journalists must verify claims before amplifying them, creators must weigh engagement against the potential consequences of their content, and technology companies face growing pressure to explain how their systems moderate and recommend political material.