The Kenyan Parliament recently created an ad-hoc committee to investigate Worldcoin’s activities in the country. According to the Kenyan House speaker, the 15-member committee is expected to report back to parliament within 42 days. A Kenyan court judge recently issued a ruling which called for the preservation of all data collected by Worldcoin between April 2022 and August 2023.
Parliament Joins Movement Against Worldcoin
The Kenyan parliament has established a 15-member ad-hoc joint committee tasked with investigating Worldcoin. According to Kenya’s speaker of parliament, the committee, which is chaired by the Narok West legislator Gabriel Tongoyo, is expected to report back in 42 days.
The announcement of the creation of the committee came just a few weeks after the Kenyan government suspended Worldcoin activities in the country. As reported by Bitcoin.com News, the suspension is expected to give authorities an opportunity to assess the crypto project’s potential risk to public safety. Shortly after the suspension announcement was made, Kenyan law enforcement reportedly raided Worldcoin offices and seized devices used to store data.
Meanwhile, before Kenyan authorities descended on Worldcoin, the country’s ICT ministry secretary Eliud Owalo initially seemed to back the crypto project. This stance appeared to be at odds with the Kenyan Data Commissioner’s position on the matter. However, after the raid, Owalo claimed that Tools for Humanity — the primary organization behind Worldcoin — had not adhered to the requirements of its registration license.
Kenyan Court’s Data Preservation Order
According to a report in The Star, the Kenyan government’s seemingly conflicting views on Worldcoin activities have prompted the parliament to summon Owalo and his counterpart at the Interior Ministry, Kindiki Kithure.
“In view of the foregoing, the two cabinet secretaries that were scheduled to appear tomorrow before this House, will instead appear before the committee to provide information on the matter,” said Kenyan House speaker Moses Wetangula.
Meanwhile, the report revealed that a Kenyan court judge recently issued a ruling which called for the preservation of all data collected by Worldcoin between April 2022 and August 2023.
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