By R, KNA
A group of residents from Busia County have been sensitized on digital risks and peaceful coexistence as a way of promoting unity and accountability of shared information.
The sensitization which was done by Siasa Place under the program of Trust Lab brought together 70 individuals comprising the youth, women, and people living with disabilities at Busia polytechnic.
According to Monicah Atieno from Siasa Place, the sensitization is aimed at helping the community to understand the risks of engaging in hate speech and online threats that come with sharing of unverified information.
“We have found that the most prevalent threats in Busia County are hate speech and scams and as we approach the next election, we are educating the community to be aware and avoid engaging in tribal politics, cyber bullying and digital scams” she said.
Atieno indicated that there is a need to continue carrying out more sensitization for the public to have better knowledge on electing good leaders.
“The dangers that affect us if we don’t do sensitization is that many people make decisions during elections based on the tribe and not the ability of the leader. This has led to many places remaining in bad state after electing a representative without their needs at heart,” she added.
She further indicated that Busia County has many communities hence the need of creating peaceful coexistence between the tribes. According to her, this will promote peace before and after the election. She also urged the youth to be cognizant with all the information before sharing on any platform.
Busia County Empowerment Accountability Champion Center CBO member, Bashir Were, indicated the spread of false information as one of the problems experienced in the county.
“I call on all youth in our county to ensure that we share information we have verified.
The Spread of propaganda, misinformation and fake news will create more harm when the election comes. The existing peace will be disrupted and that’s why this initiative plays a big role in promoting peaceful coexistence in our county” he said.
He also underscored that they are doing more of online sensitization on the dangers of engaging in hate speech and misinformation.
“The price for such actions is expensive but at the same time is avoidable if we stick to the right ways. Let’s not accept to be used to driving wrong agendas by someone in which we might suffer at the tail end.”
Rose Wandaki from Friendly Innovative development solutions said that digital threats have become a major source of depression to many people thereby rising the need for more sensitization workshops in the society.
“Many people have committed suicide because of online threats. It has also caused depression and stress that’s why we need to speak out these issues. As youth we should avoid the digital threat so that we can make the world a safe place for everyone.”
Wandaki indicated that the sensitization of digital threats should be done in the communities and churches to ensure that a large number of people can be reached.
She added that this will help in deciding to elect good leaders and creating safe space for everyone in the community.