Lang’ata Member of Parliament (MP) Phelix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o has weighed in on the TikTok ban petition, saying the matter should be dismissed.
Speaking on Friday during a local interview, Jalang’o said the platform has offered many of the unemployed youth a stable source of income.
“Don’t ban TikTok. The young people in their thousands believe that TikTok is where they are making their money,” he explained.
The legislator went on to say that most of the MPs who support the proposal to ban TikTok in Kenya do not understand much about it.
“I know so many people in that House are talking about things they don’t know, and if they know it, they are only using it to post one or two things.”
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula on Tuesday read out the petition before Parliament, sparking a lively debate. The petition was submitted by Bob Ndolo, an executive officer of Brigdet Connect Consultancy.
Ndolo argued that the Chinese-owned platform is being used by Kenyans to promote pornography, which is a serious threat to cultural and moral values.
Should the MPs approve the petition to ban TikTok, Kenya will join other countries such as Australia, France, Norway which made a similar move.
