KOT school lawyer over claims Matiang’i committed a felony for deleting his social media account
Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi has had a savage run-in with Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) after claiming that cabinet secretaries who delete or deactivate their social media accounts should be jailed for committing a felony.
Pointing out at the CS Dr Fred Matiang’i, Abdullahi said, “Twitter accounts operated by Cabinet Secretaries are public property and contain information that belongs to the office that one holds.”
Additionally, Abdullahi claimed, “Deleting or deactivating such accounts without the express authority of government is a felony that results in a jail term or fine.”
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However, KOT questioned his sentiments arguing that Dr Matiang’i deleted account was his personal handle.
But where’s the applicable law, SC? Government officers don’t even use official e-mail accounts. They give us gmail accounts with weird names. It’s embarrassing and speaks to a lack of seriousness with official communication.
— Anne Soy (@annesoy) September 15, 2022
These government ministries do not have such, they need to have them as official government handles. Yenye matiangi alikua anaoperate ilikua yake binafsi.
— ABDULAZIZ ABDI (@abdiziy) September 15, 2022
@ahmednasirlaw are the accounts really public property, per se? If be used his own private account to share public information?
— Michael Muriithi Maina (@Michael83381342) September 15, 2022
Which Article SC because I think on this you are lying to the Country. Simply Quiz Why did UHURU had Twitter account yet he was holding a Public Office
— samwel odiwuor (@samwelodiwuor81) September 15, 2022
LAck of WisDom! He owned the account before joining cabinet. @InteriorKE account is the one that belongs to Gov.
If that's the level of reasoning you got, then why has ruto blocked millions of citizens (if his account is public/gov property? https://t.co/3NpX5bZ8Sb— Free Radical… (@IkundaBob) September 16, 2022
There is @InteriorKE that I think is public property in this context. Matiang'i had his personal account. I don't think he needs any authority to do whatever he wants with it bwana GM. https://t.co/l43uDY5ekp
— Michael Murumba (@mmurumba) September 15, 2022
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Abdullahi’s sentiments came after Dr Fred Matiang’i, the of Interior and Coordination of National Government CS deactivated his Twitter handle.
The handle was deactivated just after President William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president. Before it was made inactive, Dr Matiang’i’s account had 1.3 million followers.
Dr Matiang’i had been a vocal supporter of Azimio la Umoja’s presidential candidate Raila Odinga throughout the campaign season, which always put him at loggerheads with the former Deputy President Ruto, the former’s main political rival.
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Additionally, former President Uhuru Kenyatta deleted his Twitter handle when he was in office.
President Kenyatta when enquired on what led to the deactivation of the account said, he got constant insults and name-calling that flooded his timeline.
Additionally, President Kenyatta noted that he would rather sleep and engage with First Lady Margaret Kenyatta rather than keep up with the social media platform.
When his account was deactivated, Uhuru was one of the most followed African leaders on Twitter as @UKenyatta had around 3.62 million followers. His Facebook account was also deleted shortly after.
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