NAIROBI, April 5 -- IN todays digital age, information travels faster than ever before. A single message, video or post can reach thousands, sometimes millions, within minutes. Social media has transformed communication, giving citizens unprecedented access to information and platforms for expression.

Social networks were once seen as a breakthrough spaces where ordinary people could finally be heard, ideas could travel freely and participation in public life was no longer limited to a few. That promise still matters. But to day, it sits alongside a more uneasy reality.

In many societies, these same platforms have become channels for misinformation and propaganda, where halftruths spread quickly and emotions often run ahead of facts. Vo...