By Lucy Mwangi and Jacob Nyukuri
1. A tweet with an image circulated on social media purporting to expose the management of pollster Infotrak was fake. The image went viral after the research and consultancy organization, released the findings of a poll on presidential candidates ahead of the 2022 elections. Infotrak dismissed the alleged management and noted that the names listed are not in any way associated with them as a brand, and recommended netizens to visit their website for a full list of their management.
2. A poster that made rounds on social media claiming businessman Jimi Wanjigi will run for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat was misleading. Wanjigi was said to be running for office on Fagia Wote Party ticket. The businessman recently joined the contest to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta on an Orange Democratic Movement party ticket. He has been touring the country to gain support from ODM delegates for nomination. Wanjigi criticised the misleading poster as fake news in a tweet on December 24, 2021.
3. A viral video of a leopard attacking a dog uploaded by NRG Radio and claiming to have taken place in Rongai was untrue. The footage of a leopard climbing over a gate, invading a home, and attacking a pet dog went viral on social media. A Google reverse image search reveals the image was first uploaded on Twitter on December 24 by Indian Forest Services officer Parveen Kaswan. On December 27, Mail Online, a British news website, published an article about the incident, revealing that the footage was shot in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, Central India.
4. Rumours that Pauline Musyoka, the wife of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, had died were false and misleading. The allegations about Pauline’s death circulated on social media on Sunday, January 2, 2022 afternoon, after Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua posted a tweet on his official Twitter handle condoling with Kalonzo Musyoka for the “death” of his wife. However, in a statement the former Vice President’s press team warned social media users not to propagate false information regarding his ailing wife. Governor Mutua withdrew the post and apologised.
5. A tweet posted on Monday, January 3, claiming that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu is dead was fake. Several netizens took to social media to express their grief at the alleged death, with no additional information on the cause of death provided in the post. A visit Tanzania’s State House Twitter timeline revealed the president continued to carry out her responsibilities.
6. A tweet claiming to show a helicopter gifted to Deputy President William Ruto was fake. According to the post on January 5, DP Ruto was given a brand new Eurocopter EC135 by an Israeli tycoon for his 2022 campaigns. However, according to a Google reverse image search, the image of the helicopter, which is a Royal Air Force Airbus hHelicopter, was captured and published on Flickr on July 13, 2017 by Ben Stanley Hall, a professional aviation photographer based in England.
