TikTok pulls down 750,000 Kenyan videos as State tightens oversight


TikTok removed 750,185 videos posted in Kenya between April and June for violating its community guidelines, as the government moves to tighten oversight of social media platforms.

The Chinese-owned app said about 99.8 percent of the videos were taken down before any user reported them, and 93.8 percent within 24 hours of being posted.

The second-quarter figure is down from 884,591 videos removed in Kenya in the first three months of the year.

TikTok also deleted more than 46,000 accounts in Kenya suspected of belonging to children under the age of 13.

The platform interrupted 80,640 live-streaming sessions in the country for breaching its rules during the quarter.

The disclosures are contained in TikTok’s latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report released on Monday.

Globally, TikTok removed about 188.3 million of the more than 42.2 billion videos posted in the quarter, or 0.4 percent of the total.

Automated systems, including artificial intelligence moderation, accounted for 97.4 percent of global removals, the highest share the company has recorded.

About 6.3 million videos were restored after users successfully appealed.

In Kenya, TikTok removed nearly 11,000 videos under its policy on edited media and AI-generated content.

The company requires creators to label realistic AI-generated material. It has also launched an in-app AI Literacy Hub in Kenya to help users spot such content.

New rules

The report comes as the government pushes social media companies to take more responsibility for content on their platforms.

Proposed amendments to the Kenya Information and Communications Act would require platforms such as TikTok, Meta and X to register with the Communications Authority of Kenya and report illegal activity, including sexual exploitation, cyberbullying and impersonation.

A separate draft Online Safety Bill 2026 proposes fines of up to Sh500 million ($3.9 million) or 10 percent of global turnover for platforms that fail in their duty of care.

Parliament earlier this year rejected calls for an outright TikTok ban, opting instead for tighter regulation and user safeguards.

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By Nixon Kanali

Tech journalist based in Nairobi. I track and report on tech and African startups. Founder and Editor of TechTrends Media. Nixon is also the East African tech editor for Africa Business Communities. Send tips to kanali@techtrendsmedia.co.ke.
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