This week, we launched an in-app guide to the 2022 general elections product features and hosted in-market activities to support our vision to help our community access factual and authoritative information about the Kenyan general elections ahead of 9 August. These efforts are part of our commitment to curb misinformation and ensure that information is disseminated responsibly.

We believe in collaboration with various stakeholders, to help strengthen our efforts to protect against harm and misuse on our platform, which is why we work with an array of experts and organisations to help promote safety on TikTok. Our team in Africa did week-long engagements in Kenya targeting NGOs, government, media, corporate organisations, civil societies, educational institutions and other role-players that form part of the TikTok community in Kenya.

“We are engaging with diverse stakeholders in Kenya to discuss opportunities and challenges for dynamic solutions in a fast-paced digital world. Our resolve is to spread positive vibes in markets where we operate as we promote peaceful coexistence,” said TikTok’s SSA Government Relations, Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda.

These stakeholder engagements in conjunction with the launch of the elections hub in Kenya affirms TikTok’s commitment to being a responsible industry leader that aims to make a positive impact in Africa and throughout the world.

As part of the initiative, we launched a 3-part series titled #TikTokForPeace in partnership with Article19 which is a series of TikTok LIVE sessions hosted at Strathmore University, Policy Innovation centre featuring key opinion formers in government, civil society and academia, to focus on tolerance, building bridges and active citizenship. #TikTokForPeace LIVE streams will take place on the Article19 TikTok page on the 18th & 19th of July, with the first LIVE session having taken place on the 13th of July. 

“TikTok plays a significant role in shaping discourse around current affairs. Using TikTok as a medium through which to engender an atmosphere of mutual cooperation during Kenya’s national election period is part of our resolve to provide a platform that promotes peace and provides a safe space for digital expression,” says Mgwili-Sibanda.

Within Kenya and beyond, the TikTok community is encouraged to be a part of the campaign by reporting harmful content that seems untrue and fuels any political intolerance in any way. TikTok is a platform that encourages authentic and entertaining content that speaks to the important message of national and global harmony.

This is what delegates in attendance of the in-country workshops had to say:

"I was really excited to have TikTok join us. I got to experience their mission in action, as the workshop session was not only educational but it inspired my creativity and I got to have fun too. As a Family IT Consultant, specializing in Child Online Safety my highlights were the intentionality of security and privacy and in app features that I didn't know existed to keep us and children safe.

The Screen time management feature which was also a key highlight because the prompts to take breaks is so important and it is one of the tools I will use in client sessions. Reporting is made so simple which is amazing for younger users, but more importantly, no one is too old for TikTok; the platform offers a variety of ways to harness its power.

I feel empowered and confident to use the app and to be able to effectively help young people plus their families be safe and inspire joy" said Evelyn Casina, CEO at Eveminet Communication Solutions Limited.

"The event was very informative and offered proper guidance on how to manage the children's presence online, how to avoid bullying and channels of reporting videos propagating hate speech, especially during electioneering period." added Martha Sunda, Executive Director at Childline Kenya.

As an entertainment platform, we continuously updates its community with innovative features and functions to enhance their experience, and supports these developments with robust tools and controls that help users to manage the content they consume on the platform.