Songbird Avril applauds new Cybercrime laws
Kenyan artiste Avril has celebrated Kenya’s new cybercrime laws by sending out a thinly veiled warning to those who have been spreading fake news about her.
Just hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta assented to the Computer and Cyber crimes Bill, 2017, Avril (real name Judith Nyambura Mwangi) posted on Instagram a picture of the fines and jail terms those found guilty of the offence will be liable to with the caption: “Just so you know.”
As a public figure, the Yule Dame hit maker has been a target of fake news and has had to constantly defend herself against unverified allegations in the past.
Avril has also had to contend with constant scrutiny into her private life, including an incident in 2015 where her nudes were leaked online.
The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act criminalizes cyber fraud, illegal hacking, cyber bullying and spreading fake news.
Clause 22 of the law states in part; “A person who intentionally publishes fake, misleading or fictitious data or misinforms with intent that the data shall be considered or acted upon as authentic with or without financial gain commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding five million shillings or to imprisonment of a term not exceeding two years, or both.”