Members of Parliament demand regulations to forbid netizens from posting death, accident news

Kenyan MPs seek tougher cyber laws after bloggers falsely reported Senator Oburu Oginga dead, exposing the distress caused by online death hoaxes in Parliament.

Kenyan Members of Parliament took to the floor of the National Assembly to condemn the growing trend of bloggers and social media users spreading false death reports about public figures, calling on Parliament to tighten the country's cyber laws before more families are traumatised by baseless misinformation.

The debate was triggered by the hospitalisation of Senator Oburu Oginga, the ODM Party Leader, during which bloggers circulated reports claiming he had passed away.

The false claims spread rapidly online, stirring political tension and causing distress among his family and supporters.

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Addressing the house from the floor microphone, Silvanus Osoro described the situation as deeply troubling, noting that some bloggers based outside Kenya had been among those peddling the false information.

Source: Tuko