In November, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei expressed his intention to take legal action against X (formerly Twitter) for restricting his access to his account.

In a petition he raised against the company in the senate, Cherargei has accused the media platform owned by American billionaire Elon Musk of infringing on his rights.

He threatened legal action against the company over “infringement of my ability to serve Kenyans and malicious actions that violate my freedom”.

“I believe X Corporation’s, formerly Twitter, actions warrant an investigation by the Kenyan Government and this Parliament and require diplomatic engagement with the American government,” Cherargei said in a hard-hitting statement on the floor of the House.

The legislator says he has been unable to access his account for unknown reasons and last tweeted on 23, November 2023.

He says his efforts to regain control of his account that currently has over 329,000 followers has been futile.

Through his lawyers, the legislator has already sent a demand letter to the social media firm.

In the letter dated February 8, 2024, is addressed to X Corp Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccaniro, and Head of Legal, Julian Moore, Cherargei demanded immediate restoration of his access rights.

“Take notice, the undersigned herein is under strict instructions to use our partners to file a civil claim in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Carlifornia and seek for an award of damages,” the letter states.

He further accuses the company of orchestrating his blocking, “Through a Coordinated social engineering attack, on or about November 19, 2023, circa 11am, my client was forcefully logged out from your platform “X” rendering the “@scherargei” impervious to him,” the letter reads in part.

Kenyan Senator Cherargei has requested a detailed report from ICT CS Eliud Owalo on government action mechanisms and recourse for Kenyans facing similar challenges.

He also wants Owalo to initiate communication with X Corporation, condemn the violation of Kenyan law, and emphasize ethical and responsible multinational tech companies.

“If a sitting senator can experience this, it raises questions about how Kenyan citizens and African citizens would be treated in similar circumstances. We cannot allow multinational corporations to operate with impunity,” he said.