Explainer: Cybercrimes Act and everything about the 8 controversial laws signed by Ruto as Kenya mourned Raila
By K24 Digital Reporter, October 25, 2025As the country was mourning the death of the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, President William Ruto signed eight bills into law.
Ruto’s move to assent to the bills has been criticised, and some have also moved to court seeking to stop their implementation.
Also Watch: Justin Muturi accuses Ruto of using cybercrime law to silence dissent
But what do the eight sets of laws really entail? Amid the controversy they have generated, here is a simple explanation of these laws and what they are meant to achieve.
Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Bill, 2024
The law now grants broader authority to government agencies to access and restrict online accounts suspected of spreading misinformation or cyber threats.
The law prohibits the use of electronic media to promote unlawful activities, including child pornography, terrorism, religious extremism and cultism, cyber-harassment, identity theft, and fraud.
Critics fear that this law could be used to silence dissenting voices or journalists and other media practitioners under the guise of cybersecurity.
Also Watch: Government defends Cybercrimes Law, says it won’t limit free speech
Privatization Bill, 2025
This law now enables the government to sell state-owned enterprises without requiring fresh parliamentary approval. This move, economists contend, weakens public oversight and could open the door to politically driven asset sales.
Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, 2025
This law is meant to regulate cryptocurrencies and digital assets. While it boosts investor confidence and positions Kenya as a fintech hub, experts warn that dollar-based stablecoins linked to the US dollar could undermine weaker currencies like the Kenyan shilling if not closely monitored.
Also Watch: Cherargei hails Cybercrimes Bill as a modern tool against digital threats
Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, 2023
The law was amended to include marine wildlife among wildlife species for which victims may be compensated for injury or death.
This means that Kenyan communities living near marine areas can be compensated for injuries suffered from attacks by sharks, stonefish, whales, and stingrays.
Air Passenger Service Charge (Amendment) Bill, 2025
This law now reallocates funds from the Tourism Promotion Fund (TPF) to the Tourism Fund (TF) to eliminate duplication of roles, improve efficiency and enable the government to finance tourism-related projects from a single source of funds.
It also aligns the use of the Air Passenger Service Charge with the policy on the merger of state corporations with overlapping or related mandates to improve operational efficiency and eliminate redundancy, with TPF and TF set to merge into a single entity.
Land (Amendment) Bill, 2024
The law now introduces significant changes to the registration of public land earmarked for public amenities to be published in the Kenya Gazette to ensure that all public land and land set aside by developers for public amenities such as schools and hospitals, are registered and publicised.
This is meant to prevent any grabbing of the land or its later use for private purposes.
National Police Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024
The amendment seeks to recognise the importance of the mental health of the members of the National Police Service (NPS) in the execution of their mandate and provide for the mental wellness and well-being of police officers.
It proposes the establishment of psychosocial support centres across the country.
It mandates the National Police Service Commission to establish a counselling and psychosocial support unit to promote the mental health and well-being of its members. The unit should be devolved to all the 47 counties.
The National Land Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023
The law now empowers the National Land Commission to interrogate past land injustices for an additional period of five years.
The National Land Commission now has powers to review all grants or dispositions of public land to establish their propriety or legality and hear all affected parties within a period of five years from the commencement of the amendment. This power now lapses in October 2030.