NAIROBI, Kenya — Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi has condemned the increasing spread of explicit content and cyberbullying on social media, calling for urgent legal reforms to regulate digital platforms.
Speaking during an appearance on Citizen TV, Elachi expressed alarm at what she described as the erosion of moral values online, accusing some users of turning social platforms into “channels of nudity, child prostitution, and gambling.”
“Social media was meant to build individuals, not to send us their nakedness. That’s what they are doing to us,” she said, promising that Parliament would move to amend the law to address what she termed a crisis of online morality.
Elachi said women lawmakers are particularly affected by disturbing content sent to them privately, adding: “One day we will open our phones and show you the things we see.”
The MP also decried how young people were misusing the platforms to bully both their peers and public officials. “That’s not freedom of expression — it’s abuse,” she said.
Her sentiments came just a day after MPs from across the political spectrum gathered for the National Prayer Breakfast at Safari Park Hotel, where the tone was notably spiritual and reflective.
This year’s theme — “Rise and Rebuild” — focused on healing, national unity, and the impact of online toxicity.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula set the tone for the event, urging leaders to awaken to the moral and spiritual demands of their roles.
But it was Elachi’s prayer that struck a deeper chord, as she pleaded for divine intervention in the country’s digital spaces.
“Our youth are hopeless, and we pray that the spirit of social media running our country is dealt with,” she said. “We want to confess, as legislators, that we must indeed address that sector.”
Lawmakers present, including members of the opposition, bowed their heads in prayer for national unity — and forgiveness for those who, in Elachi’s words, “spread hate and division online.”
While no specific legislative proposals have been tabled yet, Elachi hinted that a bipartisan push to tighten digital content regulations could be on the horizon.
“We shall have the courage to stand and believe in what is good for our country,” she said.
