Thousands of Kenyans Leave Twitter for Gab After Popular Blogger Banned

Thousands of Kenyan Twitter users have left the website for the free speech social media platform Gab following the suspension of a popular Kenyan blogger.

Following the suspension of influential blogger Cyprian Nyakundi, over 5,000 Kenyan Twitter users have left the platform, migrating to the free-speech social media platform Gab.

Nyakundi discussed his Twitter suspension in a Facebook post stating that he was “a victim of targeted reporting and false claims of abuse due to my views, on a platform that purportedly promotes freedom of expression.” Some sources are alleging is for leaking nude photos of Radio Africa Managing Director Martin Khafafa, but that is disputed.

Nyakundi further expressed his happiness that President Trump tweeted about investigating Twitter’s conduct surrounding the act of shadow banning saying: “We are glad that President Donald Trump has promised an investigation into Twitter’s unlawful censorship toward people who have anti-Liberal views.”

https://www.facebook.com/CyprianAtNyakundi/photos/a.1017903178297614.1073741826.401855936569011/1817623014992289/?type=3

Other Kenyan Twitter users called for those tired of the suppression of free speech across Twitter to join Gab, using the hashtag “#KenyansOnGab.”

I urge all Kenyans to open a https://t.co/J7tmTeqkNX account. The Twitter team is full of leftist pushing their own version of socialism where we have a predefined set of social etiquette & anything else is censored. #KenyansOnGab

— Michael Mburu (@MichaelMburu_) July 31, 2018

Others called for Twitter to reinstate Nyakundi’s Twitter account, popularizing the hashtag #BringBackNyakundi:

If you are a tweep and the suspension of #Nyakundi is not bothering you in any way then something is seriously wrong in your head. You can't just live happily in a place where your neighbours are exterminated one by one. #BringBackNyakundi

— Duncan Makori ἟ (@EngnrDan) July 31, 2018

Shocked that Nyakundi is suspended. We must not stifle freedom of speech. #BringBackNyakundi

— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) July 31, 2018

#bringbacknyakundi @Twitter must understand that cyprian nyakundi is the reason why many kenyans use @Twitter without him. Without him @Twitter should forget about its existence in kenya

— odhiamboRoyalty (@RoyaltyOdhiambo) July 30, 2018

The CEO of Gab, Andrew Torba, tweeted that over 5000 Kenyan Twitter users had joined Gab following Nyakundi’s suspension:

https://twitter.com/getongab/status/1024370647869272064

Speaking to Breitbart News, Torba discussed the sudden migration of Kenyans from Twitter to Gab, saying: “I believe it’s a great example of how fast communities can up and leave Twitter and other social platforms. These folks instantly started forming new communities on Gab organically within a matter of hours. This is a sign of what is to come, people around the world are tired of the double standards, hypocrisy, and one-sided favoritism from Silicon Valley. They are actively seeking out alternatives that defend user choice and freedom — and Gab is the de facto market leader in that regard.”

Torba further stated that users from other countries were beginning to migrate to the platform following online censorship: “We had a few thousand people sign up from Brazil after Facebook banned hundreds of conservative activist accounts last week,” stated Torba.

“This censorship is happening all across the world on a daily basis so it’s anyone’s guess where the next wave of sign-ups will come from. We are working hard to build the best possible product and community that defends individual liberty and free expression for everyone around the world.”