Media Contact:
Info{at}dtmafrica.com
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13 December 2025
DTM Decries Rampant Sensationalism and Disregard for Privacy on Kenyan Social Media
Nairobi, Kenya — Development Through Media (DTM) joins others in sounding the alarm over the escalating levels of sensationalism, harassment, and reckless sharing of unverified information on Kenyan social media platforms. As a non-profit media CSO, DTM sadly notes how in recent days, the online response to the death of a colleague in the practice of media, journalist Festus Amimo, has exposed a deeper moral crisis: a digital culture that feeds on speculation, scandal, and the violation of personal dignity.
Social media users—many hiding behind anonymity—have circulated rumours, graphic details, and insensitive commentary with no regard for the grieving family, no verification, and no sense of humanity. This behaviour reflects a dangerous trend that DTM continues to highlight, including through our just concluded 16-part series on Online Gender-Based Violence:
Kenya’s digital spaces have become theatres of cruelty, not platforms for responsible conversations.
Our findings over the 16 days of Activism against GBV show that:
Privacy is routinely violated for entertainment.
Women, families, and victims of tragedy are targeted with hateful, sexualised, or mocking content.
Unverified claims spread faster than truth, causing profound emotional harm.
Online mobs escalate trauma by turning personal loss into public spectacle.
This pattern is not accidental—it is becoming normalised.
DTM condemns this behaviour unequivocally. Social media must not become a dumping ground for insensitivity and digital violence.
We urge Kenyan social media users to:
- Respect the privacy of families experiencing grief or crisis.
- Stop sharing unverified or intimate details of personal tragedies.
- Reject cruelty disguised as commentary.
- Practice empathy and responsible digital citizenship.
What social media users post, share, or forward, have real consequences. Remember, behind any Social Media post IS a family, a community, and real pain. Kenya must choose humanity over hype and the insatiable desire to Trend, consequences be damned.
About DTM
Development Through Media (DTM) is a pioneer media-based, not-for-profit Civil Society Organisation (M- CSO) in Kenya, dedicated to harnessing the power of media and communication for inclusive and transformative development. Through partnerships, capacity building, content creation, dissemination and advocacy, DTM empowers citizens—including youth and marginalised communities in the rural and urban areas—to actively participate in shaping the social, economic, and political decisions that affect their lives.
Signed:
Ms Dommie Yambo-Odotte,
Executive Director and Producer
Development Through Media (DTM)
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Email: info[at]dtmafrica.com
Website: https://www.dtmafrica.com; https://radiobaraza.org
