According to a minister in Kenyan government, the US government is pressuring Kenya to end its ban on Worldcoin's operations.

According to Kenya's Interior Secretary, the US government's request to lift the Worldcoin cryptocurrency project's operating suspension was denied.

Cabinet Secretary of Interior and Administration of National Government Kithure Kindiki reportedly told parliament that the government will not lift the August 2023 halt on Worldcoin's operations, according to the local media site Business Daily Africa.

Kindiki stated that the suspension will be in place until guarantees were given about the security and honesty of financial transactions.

Kindiki disclosed to the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly that Kenya has been subject to pressure from the United States administration to lift the ban on Worldcoin's operations.

Kindiki declared on August 2, 2023, that Worldcoin will cease operations until pertinent government bodies confirmed there were no hazards to Kenyans.

The cabinet secretary emphasised that Worldcoin's collection of vital identity data, such as iris scans in exchange for a digital ID, is of particular concern to the Kenyan government.

Nearly three weeks after the suspension of Worldcoin, the Kenyan government formed a 15-member parliamentary committee headed by Gabriel Tongoyo, a member of parliament, to look into the controversial crypto project.

As hundreds of people flocked to locations around Kenya to sign up for the programme by using Worldcoin's Orb gadget to scan their iris and receive 25 Worldcoin (WLD) tokens, valued at about 7,700 shillings ($54.60) at the time, Worldcoin became well-known in that country.

After the data commissioner's office filed a case, Worldcoin's operations were also suspended by a court in addition to the parliamentary committee. The court ruled that Worldcoin's previously gathered data between April and August 2023 must be kept safe until the dispute is resolved.

On July 24, 2023, the Worldcoin project was formally introduced following three years of development. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, an AI-based chatbot, co-founded the project.

The foundation of Worldcoin's goal is the belief that as AI technology advances, it will become increasingly challenging to distinguish between online bots and humans.

To distinguish people from artificial intelligence, the business developed a digital ID system based on proof-of-personhood. An individual's iris is scanned to create a digital ID, which is then issued to them as a World ID.