Kabogo: Elon Musk Must Establish X Offices in Kenya Within Three Months

The Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication, and Technology William Kabogo disclosed that Elon Musk is required to establish X offices in Kenya within the next three months as the government intensifies regulation of social media platforms operating in the nation. Kabogo made this statement while addressing the Senate on May 13, indicating that authorities had already granted X, previously known as Twitter, provisional permits to continue operations in Kenya. The requirement for continued service in the country is that Musk establish the platform’s physical presence locally. ‘Mr Speaker, if I may add, for a platform like Elon Musk’s, we have provided them with temporary operational permits in Kenya on the condition that within the next three months, they must establish a local office,’ explained Kabogo. According to the Cabinet Secretary, this initiative forms part of comprehensive government measures to control international digital platforms that have faced increasing criticism over harmful content, misinformation, cyberbullying, and child safety issues impacting Kenyan internet users, especially minors. He clarified that requiring X to create a physical base in Kenya would enable authorities to implement domestic legislation more effectively when conflicts or harmful material surface on the platform, particularly concerning children and susceptible online participants. ‘Therefore, we are implementing measures by having them present in Kenya and subject to our legal frameworks designed to protect our children,’ emphasized Kabogo. The CS further revealed that the government, through regulatory mechanisms, possesses the authority to completely halt the services of international digital platforms found contravening Kenyan statutes or neglecting governmental instructions. Kabogo specifically referenced platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and X, noting that governmental authorities had already implemented steps to ensure these organizations demonstrate greater accountability to Kenyan regulatory bodies rather than functioning remotely without direct local oversight mechanisms. ‘Regarding our actions, Mr Speaker, with entities like TikTok and Meta, one approach involves content removal procedures,’ highlighted Kabogo. ‘The additional measure, Mr Speaker, is that the Communications Authority now has regulatory authority to suspend the operations of those platforms in case of non-compliance,’ he added. This development coincides with a growing trend in social media platform usage across the nation, as indicated by the State of the Media Report 2025, which revealed a significant dependence on social media content from various platforms throughout the country. The report demonstrates that 39 percent of Kenyan citizens currently depend on social media for news information, surpassing television at 31 percent, radio at 21 percent, and newspapers at 1 percent.