Ichung’wah defends cybercrime law, cites Shakahola tragedy and moral decay
By Kenneth Mwenda, October 26, 2025National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has defended the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, saying it was created to protect Kenyan families and prevent a repeat of tragedies like Shakahola.
Ichung’wah spoke on Sunday, October 26, 2025, during a service at St. Teresa’s Isanjiro Catholic Church in Malava Town, Kakamega County. Addressing congregants, he said the law was not meant to silence Kenyans but to safeguard the moral and social fabric of the nation.
“Na tuko kwa kanisa na katoliki. Niwashukuru nyinyi wana katoliki sana. Sababu mmekuwa mbele sana mambo ya kukinga, mambo ya jamii na familia zetu inchini Kenya. Na mweshimiwa speaker unaelewa ya kuwa tulipitisha mswada,” Ichung’wah said.
“Kati ya miswada nane ambazo rais alitia sahihi wiki liopita. Mswada moja ambao niwa matumizi mabaya ya komputer na mitandao ya kijamii. Na kati ya malengo ya hiyo sheria ni kukinga kanisa dhidi ya dini potovu ama cultic behavior and religious extremism. Lengo la pili na muhimu sana. Padre lilikuwa ni lengo la kulinda familia zetu kutokana na mambo potovu ya ngono na maonyesho ya ngono kwa mitandao. Pornography.“
Earlier, the MP stated that the Law is not new and that it was assented to by the former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Moral decay
The Majority Leader also linked the new law to the government’s effort to address moral decay and protect the country’s children from harmful online material. He said critics had misunderstood the law’s intention and were spreading lies about its purpose.
“And Mr. Speaker, unajua wale watu ambao ni wa matusi, wale watu ambao ni wa porojo. They have been peddling lies that the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Amendment Bill or Act is there to undermine the right of Kenyans to communicate or to engage with each other on social media. Far from the truth, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2025 is designed or modeled to protect the Kenyan families, families that have suffered.”
Ichung’wah added that the Bill was not a government project but a private member’s initiative by Wajir East MP Dawood Aden. According to him, the MP introduced it after witnessing how access to pornography was affecting families in his community.
“He told us that as a Muslim leader, he has seen the suffering of families where people, adults, are accessing pornographic sites. They leave their gadgets, their children access the same pornographic sites, and we are destroying the fabric of our country through access to pornographic sites. That is what that bill sought to protect. It sought to protect our nation from religious extremism and cultic behaviors, the kind of thing that we saw happen in Shakahola some years ago.”
Ichung’wah referred to the Shakahola tragedy, where hundreds of people died after being lured into a deadly cult, saying the law was necessary to prevent such manipulation through digital platforms.
“And everybody was asking, where was the government when so many people died in Shakahola? Leaders in the National Assembly took it upon themselves to pass a law that will ensure we do not use our websites or our digital space to recruit terrorists, to spread religious extremism, or even to encourage children and adults to access pornographic sites. And when you see that bill outlawing or saying that the commission that is set out in that bill can pull down a website, it is those websites that are spreading pornographic content that can be pulled down.”
Also watch: Government defends Cybercrimes Law, says it won’t limit free speech.
Safeguarding morality and security
Ichung’wah’s remarks came amid public debate about the law’s possible impact on free speech. Critics, including former Chief Justice David Maraga and Senator Okiya Omtatah, have warned that it could be used to silence dissent. A High Court order has already suspended parts of the law pending a petition by musician Reuben Kigame and the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
Supporters of the law, however, insist it is necessary to protect morality and national security. Embu Catholic Bishop Peter Kimani backed the law, saying it would help control the spread of harmful online behaviour. “The social media trends that we are seeing must be controlled. The Cybercrime Act lazima ikuwe controlled,” Bishop Kimani said on Saturday.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has also defended the law, saying it targets online crimes like child pornography, extremism, and cyber fraud, and that any website takedown must follow due process and court oversight.
Ichung’wah maintained that Parliament acted in the best interest of the country. He said leaders had a duty to act before more families and young people fell victim to online manipulation and moral decay.
“Those who speak the truth and have read the Bill know it causes no harm,” he said. “It only protects our children and preserves the social fabric of our nation.”
As debate continues, Ichung’wah’s message from the pulpit was clear: the cybercrime law is not about silencing Kenyans but about protecting them—from the dangers of pornography, radicalisation, and the kind of exploitation that led to Shakahola.