President of Kenya William Ruto on Thursday, met with the chief executive officer (CEO) of popular social media platform TikTok, Shou Zi Chew.
The meeting, held virtually, also had Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Investments, Trade and Industry Moses Kuria in attendance.
This is coming a day after Ruto spoke emphatically about his decision to speak with the TikTok chief executive over content regulation and monetisation.
In a video that made the rounds on social media on Wednesday, Ruto said he would be meeting with Chew to converse about the short-video hosting app.
“Tomorrow morning I will be speaking to TikTok CEO. I know we’ve had a conversation as a country around TikTok. In our meeting, we will agree on a mechanism to moderate the platform to reduce negative content and leverage on monetization that will benefit a lot more just like we have moderation capacities of other apps like Youtube and Twitter,” he said.
During the meeting, Chew assured Ruto of his commitment towards moderating content on the fast-growing app, while stating that plans were in the pipeline to set up an office in Kenya.
According to Chew, the office will serve as a means of coordinating TikTok’s operations, as well as availing job opportunities to Kenyans.
A statement shared by State House Kenya on X (formerly Twitter) reads:
“Short-form video hosting service TikTok will work with Kenya in reviewing and monitoring its content.
“The move, President @WilliamsRuto said, will ensure that content on the platform adheres to agreed guidelines.
“In a virtual meeting with President Ruto on Thursday morning, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew committed to ensuring that content is moderated to fit community standards.”
