Rights groups move to Supreme Court over cyber law surveillance powers

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Civil society groups petition Supreme Court to strike out sections of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act Caption. [File,Standard]

Four civil society groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to strike out sections of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act that govern surveillance, citing privacy violations.

The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Article 19 East Africa and the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) filed the petition on April 13, 2026, appealing a Court of Appeal ruling delivered on March 6, 2026, which upheld the validity of the contested sections.

The petitioners contend that sections 27, 28, 37, 48, 50, 51, 52 and 53 of the 2018 law are unconstitutional, saying the Court of Appeal misinterpreted and misapplied the Constitution in finding otherwise.