NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto’s administration made 35 formal requests to Meta for user data in 2024, targeting a total of 55 accounts across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, according to the company’s latest Transparency Centre report.
The number places Kenya seventh in Africa for the volume of government data requests to the U.S.-based tech giant, behind countries like Morocco (1,188 requests), Tunisia (121), Libya (68), Algeria (54), Ghana (38) and South Africa (36).
Of Kenya’s 35 total requests, seven were classified as emergency disclosures, typically made in cases involving imminent harm.
The remaining 28 were tied to legal processes, such as court orders and law enforcement investigations.
However, Meta did not always comply. The company says it carefully reviews each request for legal sufficiency and may reject or seek more detail if requests appear vague or overly broad.
“Meta responds to government requests for data by applicable law and our terms of service. Every request we receive is carefully reviewed,” the company said in its report.
Drop in Compliance Rate
The report offers a breakdown of Kenya’s requests by half-year:
- January–June 2024:
- 23 requests (19 legal, 4 emergency)
- Targeted 37 accounts
- Meta complied, at least partially, in 43.5% of cases
- July–December 2024:
- 12 requests (9 legal, 3 emergency)
- Targeted 18 accounts
- Compliance dropped to 33%
The dip in Meta’s compliance rate may reflect tighter scrutiny or increased rejection of requests that lacked sufficient legal backing.
A Decade of Data Demands
Since 2014, Kenya has made a total of 170 data requests, with annual figures fluctuating as follows:
- 2023: 15 requests (31 accounts)
- 2022: 23 requests (39 accounts)
- 2021: 25 requests (114 accounts) — highest number of users targeted
- 2020: 33 requests (53 accounts)
- 2019: 11 requests
- 2018: 9 requests
- 2017: 8 requests
- 2016: 1 request
- 2015: 5 requests
- 2014: 2 requests
Meta also disclosed that it restricted one piece of content in Kenya between July 2022 and June 2023 following a report that it violated local laws.
East Africa Trails Behind
Kenya far outpaced its East African neighbours in data requests:
- Uganda: 2 requests
- Tanzania: 1 request
- South Sudan: 1 request
- Ethiopia & Somalia: 0 requests
This underscores Kenya’s more aggressive approach to digital investigations, surveillance or enforcement compared to regional peers.
The Global Picture
Globally, the United States made the most data requests in 2024 with 156,556, followed by the United Kingdom (21,684).
Meta also received extraterritorial takedown orders — rare cases where a country requests content be restricted globally. Two such orders, from Brazil and Austria, were enforced.
One item was erroneously restricted worldwide during the reporting period, but Meta says this has since been corrected.
“While we respect the law in countries where we operate, we strongly oppose any extraterritorial legal demands and actively pursue all available options to appeal such orders,” Meta said.
What It Means for Kenyans
The rise in requests comes amid growing scrutiny of digital rights in Kenya, including concerns over social media censorship, surveillance, and political interference — especially ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Recent legal and political developments involving Meta in Kenya include:
- The DCI’s detention of a writer linked to a controversial article about First Daughter Charlene Ruto.
- A court allowing a case against Meta by Facebook content moderators to proceed.
- A pending case involving a teacher allegedly impersonating President Ruto on X.
