Kindiki Exposes US Pressure for Worldcoin Operations in Kenya
On Thursday, March 21, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki revealed that Kenya was facing pressure from the United States government to permit the activities of Alex Blania, the billionaire behind Worldcoin.
During his appearance before the National Assembly Petitions Committee concerning a petition submitted by Bob Ndolo regarding the prohibition of TikTok in Kenya, Kindiki stated that President William Ruto’s administration remained steadfast despite pressure from the US.
He informed the Parliamentary committee that Kenya had no intention of reversing the ban on Worldcoin imposed in August 2023.
“The American government is pushing it to the Kenyan government on that Worldcoin issue but we have remained adamant and firm because we have to first ascertain the public safety and public interest matters,” he told MPs.
“They think they still have a case but we have refused to budge. The position we took remains and we have no reason to review it.”
The cryptocurrency initiative was prohibited in Kenya following privacy apprehensions raised by the central government.
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During that period, there were inquiries regarding the necessity for Kenyan individuals to scan their eyes when registering for the platform that provided complimentary cryptocurrency tokens.
As per the Congressional Service, the US Senate expressed worries regarding the operations of Worldcoin but stopped short of taking definitive actions akin to the Kenyan government.
“There was an adverse report by the US Senate but it was not banned,” Kindiki told MPs adding that the Senate inquiry exposed certain risk areas associated with Worldcoin.
In September 2023, Billionaire Alex Blania addressed the National Assembly Ad Hoc Committee to respond to inquiries brought forth by a range of Kenyan stakeholders, including members of the public.
He denied allegations suggesting that utilizing the Worldcoin Orb for iris scanning led to health issues.
“Worldcoin is produced in Germany- one of the strictest certification agencies in the world,” the billionaire defended the Orb.
Kindiki Exposes US Pressure for Worldcoin Operations in Kenya