Ruto Set for Talks with TikTok CEO on Content
President William Ruto announced on Wednesday that he will meet with global TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Thursday, August 24, amidst concerns over detrimental and explicit content on the platform deemed inappropriate for Kenyan audiences, particularly children.
The Head of State stated in Nakuru during the Kenya Music Festival Winner’s State Concert that he will discuss with the executive strategies that will enable the technology company to moderate content on the platform to make it more palatable.
“Tomorrow morning, I will speak with the global CEO of TikTok so that we can agree on a mechanism to moderate content on their platform so that we can reduce negative content and maximize the monetization that is benefiting many more people,” said the head of state.
This is even though a Kenyan has petitioned Parliament to prohibit the platform because it promotes explicit content and material that glorifies violence.
After the petition was submitted, legislators engaged in a heated debate, with differing views on whether an outright ban or stricter content moderation should be implemented.
Concurrently, the Head of State disclosed that the meeting will also focus on monetization to enable Kenyan content creators to profit from their talent.
The Head of State also disclosed that he had reached an agreement with YouTube and X to monetize Kenyan content for Kenyan creatives.
Ruto stated, “Over the past year, I have had discussions with the owners of social media platforms, including Facebook, X, TikTok, and YouTube, and I am pleased to report that two of them have already agreed to monetize content in Kenya.”
“On YouTube, for instance, we have reached 80% monetization. We are one of four nations on the African continent that can now monetize their YouTube content, he added.
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Ruto also disclosed that he met with Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, in 2022, and the two agreed to select 25 content creators to monetize their content on the platform.
“These platforms generate between Ksh300 million and Ksh500 million per month, so we are increasing national revenue from this sector,” he said.
Ruto emphasized that the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) must publish its content on social media platforms, particularly content from music events and drama festivals.
This, he remarked, will generate revenue, allow children to profit from their talents, and enable pertinent institutions to host more and better events.
Ruto Set for Talks with TikTok CEO on Content
