By Lucy Mwangi
- A video clip posted on Twitter by Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi purporting to show ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi’s reception in Vihiga County was fake. The picture posted on February 6 purpoted to show Mudavadi being cheered by a large crowd as he addressed them in Vihiga. A Google reverse image search shows the footage was first shared on twitter by the ANC party and retweeted by Musalia Mudavadi on January 26, following the “earthquake” declaration, when he, DP William Ruto, and their Ford-Kenya counterpart Moses Wetangula held a joint rally in Eldama Ravine.
2. A Facebook post claiming that Syokimau Railway Station was hiring was fake. According to the post on February 5, vacant positions in Nairobi include attendants, drivers, security guards and cleaners. Kenya Railways confirmed on their official Twitter handle that the job advertisement was fake and that the company does not have any vacancies at the moment, adding that whenever any vacancies arise, they are advertised on mainstream print media and on their website.
3. A twitter account impersonating Co-operative Bank of Kenya was fake. The Media Observer analyzed the fake bank Twitter account and found it had four followers. The handle, which was in February, had a total of 26 tweets, most of which are replies to people’s inquiries. Given the nature of the bank’s position, several of the fake account’s response tweets are alarming. The Co-operative Bank of Kenya’s verified twitter account has 533.7k followers, 181.1k tweets, and was established in July 2011.
4. A Twitter digital card purporting to quote former State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita was fake. On February 10, 2022, a digital card bearing the KBC branding was distributed following Waita’s resignation to run for Machakos governor. According to the digital card, Waita will not fall victim to the blackmail of some Ukambani leaders. KBC took to Twitter on January 10 and promptly flagged the digital card as fake.
- A tweet purporting to show ODM leader Raila Odinga with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 12, 2022, was misleading. The tweet claimed that Odinga met with the Indian Prime Minister and that they addressed numerous social and economic issues between India and Africa. A reverse image search revealed that the image was first shared on twitter by the Press Information Bureau, which communicates with the media on behalf of the Government of India, on July 3, 2018, when the former Kenyan prime minister met with his Indian counterpart regarding bilateral issues with the Asian economic giant.
6. A digital card uploaded on Twitter by controversial blogger Robert Alai, quoting Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, was misleading. The blogger shared the digital card dated February 12, following ODM leader Raila Odinga’s 10-day tour abroad. The MP dismissed the digital card as fake.
