New turn in Kenya High Court petition against Meta about Ethiopia

Two Ethiopian men and the Katiba Institute tell that Facebook algorithms amplified hate in Ethiopia in 2020 to 2022. Meta told the court that Kenyan law does not apply to it.

On 12 November, the Kenya High Court hears the petition of two Ethiopian men and the Katiba Institute against Meta. The petitioners tell that Meta algorithms amplified hateful content in Ethiopia during the Tigray war of 2020 to 2022. The court hears the objection of Meta to a new plan of the petitioners to add proof.

What the petition claims

The father of Abrham Meareg, a university professor, was shot dead on 3 November 2021. This was three weeks after a viral Facebook post named the father as Tigrayan.

Fisseha Tekle tells that incorrect posts on Facebook named Tekle as an agent of a party. Tekle tells that it is not safe to go back to Ethiopia.

What the court decided

Meta told the court that Kenyan law does not apply to it, as it has no registration in Kenya. The High Court did not accept this.

It held that a Facebook content review center in Nairobi gave Kenyan courts jurisdiction. The court also found that a bench of judges must hear the petition.

What is not known

The source gives no date for a decision. Ethiopian members of a Meta trusted partner program tell that Meta was not careful with their reports. Meta tells the public that it makes a large investment in content moderation.

Insight: Local work gave a court the right to hear Meta

The Kenya court can hear Meta because Facebook had a content review center in Nairobi. On 15 October 2026, the electoral court of Brazil told Meta to stop unequal cuts of audience. Courts in two countries test Meta, and local work seems to give a court the right to hear a firm. Leaders must find where their AI work is.