Kenya must win election disinformation fight

As Kenya prepares for another General Election next year, the battle for State House is no longer confined to political rallies, television debates or newspaper headlines. It is taking place in WhatsApp groups, TikTok videos, Facebook posts, X threads and YouTube channels, where truth competes with fiction on an increasingly uneven playing field.

The greatest threat to Kenya's democracy may not be who wins the election. It may be whether voters are making decisions based on facts at all.

The rise of misinformation, disinformation and fake news has fundamentally altered political discourse around the world. In Kenya, where social media penetration has grown exponentially and smartphones have become ubiquitous even in remote villages, false information now spreads faster than official corrections.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect is not that lies are being created, it is that they are increasingly being believed. One only needs to travel to rural Kenya to witness the phenomenon. It is now common to find villagers passionately discussing sensational claims about politicians, election officials, government programmes or ethnic communities.

When asked where they obtained the information, the answer is often the same: "Nimeiona kwa social media (I saw it on social media)."

Never mind that the story was fabricated. Never mind that the accompanying video was edited. Never mind that the photograph was taken years ago in another country. Once information appears on a phone screen, many assume it must be true. That should worry everyone. False information they say, triggers fear, outrage or excitement, leading to faster sharing.

Former US President Joe Biden perhaps captured this challenge best during his farewell address at the White House when he warned that: "Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling.

Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families, and our very democracy from abuse of power.