Shared Purpose
The National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya is a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering a digital ecosystem where freedom of expression is upheld in alignment with international human rights standards. We are committed to ensuring that content moderation on social media platforms reflects the unique context and diversity of Kenya, encompassing linguistic, social, cultural, and political dimensions.
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission: The mission of the Coalition is to collaboratively advocate for and uphold international standards on human rights in content moderation on social media platforms.
Our Vision: Our vision is to drive positive change in content moderation practices, fostering greater transparency, accountability, and adherence to global human rights principles within the digital realm.
Our Story
Our History & Background
The National Coalition on Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Kenya (FeCoMo), under the leadership of UNESCO, emerged as an outcome of the UNESCO EU funded Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) Project. Launched in January 2021, the SM4P project is implemented in four pilot countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Indonesia, and Kenya) and aims to strengthen the resilience of societies to potentially harmful online content, particularly against violence-inciting hate speech. It also aims to safeguard freedom of expression and amplify the promotion of peace through the utilisation of digital technologies, particularly social media platforms.
Following the successful implementation of several activities under the SM4P project by individual organisations in Kenya, FECoMo was established to strengthen cross-sectoral partnerships between national regulators, media associations, tech/internet/social media companies, fact-checkers, peace-building organisations, INGOs, CSOs and academia. In addition to designing innovative strategies and initiatives, this unique mechanism provides a platform for structured dialogue with big-tech platforms to advance the localization of content moderation and to address hate speech and disinformation, while promoting freedom of expression online in Kenya.
Core values & principles
We are guided by the principles of equality, transparency, accountability, inclusivity, non-discrimination, cooperation, service to the general public interest and independence from specific public or private interests. These values drive our mission to safeguard freedom of expression online in Kenya.
