By Lucy Mwangi by Jacob Nyongesa
- By Lucy Mwangi by Jacob Nyongesa
A Facebook post claiming that Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i is missing is fake. The post claims the Cabinet Secretary has been missing since the morning of May 27, 2021, when the post was shared. Matiangi’s own Twitter timeline shows the CS has been discharging his responsibilities indicating the claim that he is missing is untrue. On June 4, for instance, he visited Karen police station where he called on members of the public to change their attitudes towards police.
2. Rumours spreading online indicated that Felix Orinda popularly known as DJ Evolve is dead are fake. Evolve’s shooting happened on January 16, 2020 at B-Club, a high-end bar in Nairobi’s Kilimani estate after an alleged disagreement with Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino. DJ Evolve’s brother, Andrew Orinda, noted that his brother was doing well and even sent blogger Edgar Obare a video clip of him and DJ Evolve to rubbish the claims. His father, John Orinda, dismissed rumours and condemned those wishing his son death. He said DJ Evolve is “doing well at home” and the family is disturbed by the rumours that he is no more.
3. An image shared on Facebook claiming to show President Uhuru Kenyatta’s motorcade in Kisumu is fake. The post claims that the huge crowd pictured accompanied President Kenyatta’s convoy along a highway in Kisumu. It also castigates him for disregarding the Covid-19 protocols which prohibit large gatherings. The image was posted on May 31, 2021, a day before the president presided over the 58th Madaraka Day celebrations at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo, Kisumu. The Media Observer found out that the image was not taken during the event. A Google reverse image search shows the photo has been online since 2017. The BBC used this photo in a news article about opposition protests following the November 2017 disputed elections. The image has also been published on the Getty Images website, with a caption stating that Mr Odinga’s welcome party in Nairobi was broken up after police fired teargas at his supporters.
4. A tweet by Citizen TV and K24 TV claiming that High Court had declared the Nairobi Metropolitan Services unconstitutional is fake. The petition to challenge the legality of NMS was purportedly filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK). In a statement by Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, the government stated the case challenging the legality of NMS was determined in September 2020. According to Ogeto, the court approved the validity and legality of NMS and no further ruling has ever been delivered to the country since then. The Media Council of Kenya through its social media platform cautioned media houses against sharing information from unverified sources.
