Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki has indicated that Kenya is resisting a push by the United States government to revoke the suspension of activities of the cryptocurrency project WorldCoin. The minister told the country’s parliament members yesterday that despite that, the government will not lift the suspension it imposed in August 2023.
“The United States has been pushing the government on the issues of WorldCoin, but we have remained adamant and firm,” Prof Kindiki told the parliament’s committee on Public Petitions. “They (US) think that they (WorldCoin) still have a case to set up their activities here. We have remained adamant and the decision we took will remain. We are not going to review the suspension”, he added.
According to a local report, Prof Kindiki appeared before the committee chaired by Kuria East MP Marwa Gitayama, which is processing a public petition seeking to ban the popular Chinese messaging platform TikTok.
He said the government is exploring all avenues including limiting some of the activities of TikTok as was the case with the WorldCoin, which was suspended from collecting Kenyan citizens’ biometric data by capturing the iris.
Read also: Kenya denies endorsing Worldcoin despite issuing a registration certificate
The travails of Worldcoin in Kenya: A backstory
Worldcoin, a new project launched by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman allowed users to provide their iris scans in exchange for digital identification and free cryptocurrency called WorldCoin token, $WLD. The project reportedly onboarded nearly 2 million users during its trial phase.
Kenya was the first African nation where the Worldcoin project was launched last year. The launch was greeted by local frenzy as thousands of citizens in the East African country queued to have their iris scanned by the Worldcoin orb at the Kenyatta International Convention Center.
At the time, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) had warned of the emergence of potential fraudulent schemes involving cryptocurrencies in the backdrop of the fallout from the rollout of WorldCoin- a crypto project handing out free tokens to Kenyans.
The markets regulator said WorldCoin was not regulated in Kenya and that related products including the free crypto-tokens and their derivatives are not investment products within the scope of the Capital Markets Act.
Similarly, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) had earlier issued an advisory against the project, urging Kenyans to heighten their vigilance and ensure that they receive proper information before disclosing any sensitive data.
Subsequently, law enforcement agents in Kenya raided the warehouse belonging to Worldcoin in Nairobi. Local media reported that the Kenyan police officers, acting under the auspices of a search warrant, seized Worldcoin’s documents and machines in the warehouse that was located in the East African country’s capital.
Read also: Kenya denies endorsing Worldcoin despite issuing a registration certificate
The raid was reportedly conducted under the supervision of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner. It involved officers from multiple agencies and it resulted in the confiscation of documents and machines that are believed to be associated with the crypto project’s biometric data collection.
At that time, Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations told the media that the confiscated data was being analysed. Immaculate Kassait, the Data Protection Commissioner also accused Tools for Humanity, Worldcoin’s parent company, of failing to disclose its true intentions at the time of registration a few months before.
Following that, the Kenyan parliament formed a 15-member parliamentary committee headed by Narok West Member of Parliament Gabriel Tongoyo to investigate the controversial asset of the company.
Members of the committee were drawn from departmental committees on Administration and Internal Security, Communication and Innovation, and Tourism and Wildlife. The parliamentary committee has 42 days to investigate the project and submit its report to the House committee.
Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, told the House Committee that the government is concerned by Worldcoin’s activities registering citizens and collecting iris data, all of which he claims pose serious security risks.
Rad also: Kenya parliament forms 15-man committee to investigate Worldcoin
Members of the committee were drawn from departmental committees on Administration and Internal Security, Communication and Innovation, and Tourism and Wildlife. The parliamentary committee has 42 days to investigate the project and submit its report to the House committee.
Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, told the House Committee that the government is concerned by Worldcoin’s activities registering citizens and collecting iris data, all of which he claims pose serious security risks.
The outcomes of the deliberations are yet to be seen.
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