Kenya, Sept. 9 -- On September 8, 2025, a shocking disclosure in a Nairobi courtroom sent shockwaves through Kenya, as a Safaricom official admitted to the company's direct role in providing real-time location data to Kenyan authorities. The acknowledgement linked to the heartbreaking situation of blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang, along with several other government critics who have endured abduction and torture, has heightened concerns regarding privacy breaches and government monitoring in Kenya.
The account reveals a disturbing reality of how routine mobile tracking leads to quick arrests, igniting a wave of public anger on social media as users express their concerns about being under constant surveillance.
The hearing took place at the Milimani Law Courts and focused on the circumstances surrounding Ojwang's death while in police custody in June 2025.A 31-year-old social media commentator was taken from his home in Homa Bay while having lunch with his family, facing accusations of sharing content considered defamatory towards high-ranking police officials.
After being moved to Nairobi's Central Police Station, he was discovered unconscious in his cell and subsequently declared dead at Mbagathi Hospital. Initial police reports suggested self-inflicted injuries, but these claims were swiftly refuted as autopsy results indicated foul play.
The case, now classified as a murder, has escalated into a national scandal. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is investigating more than 80 similar abductions that have emerged since the youth-led protests against government policies last year.
The Safaricom representative, speaking under oath, explained how the company consistently adheres to law enforcement requests for subscriber information, which encompasses call data records, travel patterns, and exact GPS coordinates from mobile devices.
"We share this information when we receive court orders or urgent national security directives," the officer explained, acknowledging that it helped in quickly locating and apprehending Ojwang.
This reflects wider concerns raised by human rights advocates, who argue that telecom companies such as Safaricom serve as quiet collaborators in a surveillance state, allowing the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to identify dissenters in real time.
Former Attorney General Justin Muturi previously criticised the firm, calling it "complicit in tracing and abductions". In response, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa refuted these claims in June, emphasising that all data sharing adheres to legal protocols and transparency standards.
Human rights organisations, such as the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), criticised the practice as a clear violation of constitutional privacy rights as outlined in Article 31.
"This goes beyond a single blogger; it's a trend of government overreach that stifles those who challenge authority," remarked a KNCHR representative, pointing out instances where abducted individuals faced violence and forced disappearances before either being released or suffering even graver fates.
Amnesty International joined the call, advocating for an independent investigation into the connections between telecom companies and the government, as well as reforms to limit unrestricted access to data.
On platforms such as X and TikTok, hashtags like #StopSurveillanceAbductions gained traction, as users recounted personal experiences of avoiding arrests and pledging to change providers, thereby strengthening the movement for boycotts against Safaricom.
The court has been adjourned, with the magistrate directing Safaricom to provide complete records regarding Ojwang's data transfer. Meanwhile, IPOA is requesting access to 17 phone numbers associated with suspects in his death, focusing on important dates from early June.
As the country confronts these revelations, the testimony regarding Safaricom's location data has sparked pressing discussions about digital rights and responsibility.
Families of victims, including Ojwang's widow, who last received his comforting words through a phone call, are calling for justice to stop further lives from being lost to covert tracking methods.
As public confidence in institutions declines, this situation may prompt necessary reforms in Kenya's approach to balancing security with civil rights, making sure that individuals do not disappear into the shadows of unregulated surveillance.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.