NAIROBI, Kenya – A group of 35 Kenyan tech workers has filed a petition in court challenging the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, accusing Parliament of attempting to shield multinational technology companies from prosecution over labour and human rights violations.
The workers, under the Africa Tech Workers Movement and supported by civic watchdog Oversight Lab, argue that the Bill was pushed through the Senate without public participation and under heavy lobbying from global tech giants and their local agents.
Workers cite Meta case as trigger
In their petition, the workers claim the legislation is a direct response to a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. and its local outsourcing partner, Sama, over alleged exploitation and rights violations of content moderators.
They allege President William Ruto publicly signaled support for amending laws to shield the firms after the lawsuit was filed.
“On December 9, 2024, the President… announced how, after the filing of the lawsuit against Meta and their local agent, Sama begged him to protect them from the lawsuit. As a result, he informed them that he would change the laws to make sure they would never be sued for any reason whatsoever in Kenya,” the petition states.
Petitioners warn of flawed process
The workers, led by Joan Kinyua, president of the Data Labellers Association of Kenya, Wycliffe Alutalala, president of the Digital Taxi Workers Association, and Naftali Wambalo, a former content moderator, argue that the Senate locked them out of the legislative process.
“The Senate failed to carry out public participation and denied workers an opportunity to present their concerns on the Bill,” Oversight Lab said in a statement.
Kinyua warned Parliament against proceeding with what she described as a “tainted Bill.”
“Ours is to now caution both Houses of Parliament—and in particular the National Assembly—against receiving and acting on the Bill given the irredeemably flawed process at the Senate,” she said.
‘Immunity for abuses’
According to Alutalala, the legislation amounts to granting foreign tech companies permanent immunity in Kenya, even in cases of underpayment, discrimination, or other forms of worker exploitation.
“The Bill seeks to legalise the violation of workers’ rights while protecting foreign commercial and political interests,” he argued.
The petition now sets up a fresh legal battle over the future of Kenya’s digital labour sector, which has faced repeated scrutiny over working conditions, pay, and accountability for multinational tech platforms.
