By Lucy Mwangi and Jacob Nyongesa
- A gazette notice claiming that Bishop David Ngari aka Gakuyo was on June 1, 2021, appointed as the State House intercessor and chaplain is fake. Further checks at the Kenya Law website indicate that the gazette circulated online was on a template issued on May 20, 2020, that declared Monday, May 25, 2020 a public holiday to mark Idd-ul-Fitr. The font used in the alleged gazzete notice is not the official one. Further, the alleged appointment of Gakuyo was not announced on the State house official platforms, that regularly update on key developments.
2. An article claiming that former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chief executive officer Ezra Chiloba has died is false. The article on Tv.com claims Chiloba died of testicular cancer while receiving specialised treatment at an Indian hospital. The authors of the misleading story claim to have spoken to Chiloba’s family spokesman identified as Nathan Chiloba, who allegedly confirmed the death of the ex-IEBC boss. The former CEO would later post on his Twitter account saying that he is alive and well. He also attached a photo of himself enjoying a meal outdoors.
3. A digital card with a quote attributed to Justice Joel Ngugi slamming President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to amend the list of judges presented by the Judicial Service Commission is fake. The digital card contained the branding of a local publication, Kenyans.co.ke. The Judiciary through their official Twitter account said Justice Ngugi did not make such claims and flagged the quote as fake. Kenyans.co.ke also distanced itself from the digital card, and cautioned online users to always verify information before sharing. Lindah Oguttu, a news anchor at KTN whose pseudo-account was used to share the Tweet also said the account that was used to spread the misinformation does not belong to her.
4. The card digital card with Tuko.co.ke branding and containing a quote attributed to Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua is fake. Gachagua was purportedly responding to concerns about how he discharged his responsibilities under the administration of the late former President Daniel arap Moi. Investigations by the Media Observer reveal that there is no such information about the alleged statement attributed to Gachagua on his Facebook page where he regularly posts. Tuko.co.ke on June 9 flagged the digital card as fake and urged members of the public to ignore it.
