Digital Democracy: Revolutionizing Governance Through Social Media In Kenya
Africa
Technology
Social media allows people to communicate, interact, share, and exchange ideas virtually by using applications and websites. Some of the most common social media sites are Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram, Threads and WeChat. Social media has long been used as a place of convenient communication creating new relationships of its kind. Some have evolved into business and family relationships. However, over the last two months, there has been a shift in the role of social media as evidenced in Kenya's political affairs. Kenya has experienced protests all over the country in the last month with Nairobi being the centre of all. For the first time in history, parliament was infiltrated by Kenyans after a massive turnout of youths in the Central Business District, Nairobi. This raised questions in the Kenyan government security agencies on how the Generation Z Youth-led protests managed to pull out of such organized protests. With a banner of tribeless, partyless, and leaderless, it has been difficult for the Kenyan government to determine the leaders of the movement to contain the anger among the youths, who feel neglected by the government and the political class. It's however key to note that social media played a big role in staging peaceful protests in Kenya. The use of social media, more so in X Spaces and TikTok has further devolved into calling for better governance, accountability, and responsibility by the Kenyan youths. By questioning the government on its performance, the power seems to have moved to the people, as people are now aware of various policies and their constitutional rights. This is an eye-opener in governance in Africa and the global scene, that social media can be used to enhance governance accountability in the political space. This is also evidenced by how youths from Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana have commenced questioning the government and seeking more accountability, and better service delivery from their elected leaders.
5 MONTHS AGO
