Debate on recent abductions in the country has continued with the National Assembly leadership now urging the police to fully enforce the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Law against those misusing social media.
Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung'wah noted with concern the rising misuse of computers and digital platforms by the youth.
According to Ichung'wah, the police ought to arrest anyone involved and charge them in court to serve as a lesson to others.
"Arrest them and make it public that you have arrested people and take them before courts of law so that it becomes a deterrent to those who are misusing computers, artificial intelligence, not only to insult (but) do other very uncouth and uncivilized things," he said.
Ichung'wah referenced the trend among some social media users who use AI to superimpose photos of leaders into coffins.
The Kikuyu MP made the remarks in Mukhweya, Bungoma where he had gone to condole the family of National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang'ula, following the death of his mother.
He also emphasised the need for youth to be respectful to all leaders. "Even if you don't respect me as a leader, respect their family, respect the people and where those people come from," he said.
"They have parents, children and relatives." Ichung'wah asserted that "if the DCI are not aware, and if the police are not aware, the laws we passed in 2018 are fully in force... all they need to do is to implement that law to end the shenanigans of people insulting each other left and center with impunity and imagining nothing can happen to you".
The Leader of Minority in the National Assembly Junet Mohammed on his part expressed regret over the growing trend of online insults against leaders.
Junet said while there is freedom of speech and expression, everyone should do so within the confines of the law.
He said those misusing their digital platforms should be arrested and charged in court.
"Unaenda unaweka president kwa coffin kwa Facebook na Twitter (X), hiyo ni tabia chafu sana. Halafu anaenda kupiga kifua ati ni haki yangu," he said.
"It's only God who knows the day you will be put there, it is not you. You have no right to put people inside a casket. They should be taken to court," Junet added.
Ichung'wah at the same time took issue with what he termed as people alleging they have been abducted then they show up, all out of political expediency.
Such individuals, he said, should also be arrested noting they are using it to incite Kenyans.
He told family members who claim that their loved ones have either been hijacked or abducted to report to the police so that they may assist to investigate and bring the culprits to book.
