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By Lucy Mwangi and Jacob Nyukuri
The image of the front page of Taifa Leo shared on Twitter on March 26 by Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi with the headline “Jubilee yavuna wazee,” alleging that the ruling party had recruited senior citizens as token candidates in the upcoming August elections, was fake. On March 25, Taifa Leo shared the authentic front page on Twitter, which reads: “Jubilee yavuna kuvuna”. Raila, Kioni and Kamanda were not among the leaders depicted in the images.
2. A video clip attached to a tweet by controversial blogger Ronoh Cornelius purporting to show Third Way Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot supporting ODM leader Raila Odinga was misleading. A Google reverse image search reveals that the footage was first shared on YouTube on August 10, 2017, by NTV Kenya when Aukot conceded defeat after the IEBC declared President Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of the August 9, 2017, presidential election. On March 23, the Third Way Alliance leader retweeted the tweet, describing it as fake and asked his followers to report it.
3. A letter purportedly published on Twitter by Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata on aspirants defecting from the United Democratic Party to other parties was fake. On March 25, the legislator dismissed the claim via his official Twitter account, calling the letter fake and asserting that DP Ruto is on track to receive 90 per cent of Mt Kenya votes.
4. A certificate of nomination bearing the Kanu logo purporting to show Mandera gubernatorial aspirant Faisal Abdirahman Abass was fake. Abdirahman has not been certified and nominated as a Kanu candidate for governor in Mandera in the August election. On March 29, the aspirant who has been campaigning under the Jubilee Party confirmed on Twitter that the Kanu nomination certificate was fake. Certificates of nomination are issued following the completion of the party primaries that will take place between April 16 and 22, 2022.
5. A tweet claiming Kenya’s youngest preacher, Victor Githu, attained 227 marks in the KCPE exam was false. The claim came after Education CS George Magoha announced the results for 2021 on March 28. On March 29, during an interview with YouTube content creator Eve Mungai, the 12-year-old enthusiastic preacher stated that he is currently in Grade 6 and yet to sit for national exams.
6. A document claiming that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is looking for polling and counting clerks was fake. According to the document, IEBC was looking to hire 262,665 polling and counting clerks ahead of the elections, with successful applicants receiving a Sh1,000 stipend each workday. The IEBC’s social media platforms contain no information about the recruitment process. The commission, however, labelled the notice as fake in a Twitter post on March 29, 2022.
7. An image shared on Twitter that purports to be the front page of The Nairobian weekly for the March 25–31 was manipulated. The Media Observer team examined the front page in question on March 30, 2022, and discovered that the actual March 25–31 issue of the newspaper in circulation carries the headline: “From sex worker to bunge.” The lead story’s photo had been altered but the rest of the content is identical to what appears on the cover of the genuine publication.
8. A tweet by Nation Breaking News claiming that the Ministry of Health will impose a ban on baby feeding bottles was misleading. A quick review of thereas Breastfeeding Regulations revealed that baby feeding bottles must contain words in English and Kiswahili that are within 50% of the size of the largest words on the label, and less than 3mm preceded by the word “WARNING”. A label on a package or container should not include any graphic representation other than a cleaning illustration and the manufacturer’s or distributor’s logo. The regulations come into effect in May. On March 31, 2022, Nation media removed the article from its website, stating that it had been recalled for editorial review.
9. A Facebook post by Kenya Max News that bears Citizen TV logo purportedly showing a pregnant woman threatening to halt the burial of renowned businessman and farmer Jackson Kibor was fake. A reverse image search reveals that the image of the pregnant woman was first shared in an article by The Standard on December 31, 2018, when the woman stormed a wedding and caused a commotion to prevent her man from marrying another woman claiming to be the groom’s wife.
10. A WhatsApp list purported to be a transfer of officers of Kenya Defense Forces appointed by the President was fake. The Media Observer team discovered, however, that the list was initially published on July 23, 2021, in a press statement by the Ministry of Defence when the President announced reforms to the military in which Ogolla was promoted, and it includes officers from various communities. The names of the newly appointed officers were also published by The Standard on July 24, 2021.
- An image of the front page of Taifa Leo shared on Twitter on March 21 with the cover headline “Ruto anyamba kwa kuogopa Uhuru” was false. The March 22 edition of the newspaper revealed that the lead story had been manipulated, but the rest of the stories featured on the cover page were identical to those on the genuine publication. On March 22, Taifa Leo issued a notification via Twitter indicating that the image provided was not authentic and that the front-page image was fake. The original March 21, 2022, read “Kwa nini Ruto aogopa Uhuru.”
