Lawyer Miguna Miguna, Nairobi senator-elect Edwin Sifuna, Kileleshwa MCA-elect Robert Alai have been by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) as public figures who spread misinformation during the concluded August polls.
The trio together with four others were accused by MCK of spreading misleading information on social media during the polls period.
Other names included Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi, digital strategist Dennis Itumbi, Dikembe Disembe and journalist Mac Otani.
Most of the websites that shared misinformation were designed to make consumers assume they are reading from reliable sources
MCK
“There was weaponisation of misinformation and propaganda during the elections and beyond, especially on digital platforms that border on defamation and publication of false content,” read the report in part.
It further stated, “Most of the websites that shared misinformation were designed to make consumers assume they are reading from reliable sources.”
Pseudo accounts
MCK further noted misinformation during the electioneering period was on the rise as some individual created parody accounts of media houses to mislead the public.
“The use of pseudo accounts by individuals was very rampant during the election period, an example is Davis Chirchir, S.K Macharia and Wambugu Ngunjiri. The use of reputable brands (media houses) to spread propaganda and misinformation was also observed,” read the notice.
