Billionaire Elon Musk To Set Up X Offices In Kenya As Gov’t Tightens Oversight
The Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has revealed that Elon Musk will be required to establish offices for X in Kenya within the next three months.
This comes as the government tightens oversight on social media platforms operating in the country.
Kabogo made the remarks while appearing before the Senate on May 13, stating that the government had already issued X, formerly known as Twitter, with temporary approval licenses to continue operations in Kenya.
However, the condition for continued operation in the country was that Musk open the platform’s offices in the country.
“And you remember, Mr Speaker, if I may add, a platform like the one for Elon Musk,” stated Kabogo.
Today, I appeared before the Senate to address concerns regarding the protection of children in the digital space, particularly against cyberbullying, online exploitation, harmful content, gambling exposure, and abusive data-harvesting practices on online platforms.
— H.E William Kabogo Gitau, E.G.H (@honkabogo) May 13, 2026
The… pic.twitter.com/3QqKCRI2rG
“We have given them temporary approval licences to operate in Kenya on the condition that in the next three months they shall have an office here.”
According to the CS, the move is part of broader efforts by the government to regulate global digital platforms that have increasingly come under scrutiny.
Especially, due to harmful content, misinformation, cyberbullying, and child safety concerns affecting Kenyan users online, particularly children.
He explained that requiring X to establish a physical office in Kenya would make it easier for authorities to enforce local laws if disputes or harmful content emerge on the platform, especially involving children and vulnerable internet users.
“So we are taking action by having them here in Kenya and being subjected to our laws and measures that are there to protect our children,” added Kabogo.
The CS further disclosed that the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) had now been empowered, through regulations.
The CAK will completely suspend the operations of global digital platforms found to be in violation of Kenyan laws or failing to comply with government directives.
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Kabogo specifically mentioned platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and X.
The CS stated that the government had already undertaken measures to ensure the companies become more accountable to Kenyan authorities, rather than operating remotely without direct local accountability structures.
“On what we are doing, Mr Speaker, with players like TikTok and Meta, one action is the take-down action,” stressed Kabogo.
Adding, “The other action, Mr Speaker, is that the Communications Authority, through regulations, has been mandated now to stop operations of those platforms in the event of a breach.”
This comes at a time when the use of social media platforms in the country is on an upward trajectory, as the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) State of the Media Report 2025 revealed a heavy reliance on social media content from various platforms nationwide.
The report indicates that 39 per cent of Kenyans now rely on social media for news, ahead of television at 31 per cent, radio at 21 per cent, and newspapers at 1 per cent.
Billionaire Elon Musk To Set Up X Offices In Kenya As Gov’t Tightens Oversight
