A Facebook post claims that Francis Atwoli, the secretary general of Kenya’s Central Organization of Trade Unions (Cotu), has been appointed to head the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to replace Wafula Chebukati, who it says has resigned.
“BREAKING NEWS,” it begins. “Francis Atwoli appointed NEW IEBC chair after Wafula Chebukati resigned!!!” The post is dated 12 May 2020. Its claim also appears on Twitter.
Will Cotu’s Atwoli will now chair the electoral commission after Chebukati’s resignation? We checked.
The news has not been reported by credible news outlets in Kenya, a sign that it may not be accurate.
Capital FM shared a screenshot of WhatsApp message with the same claim, which included the station’s web address.
The screenshot is stamped “FAKE NEWS” in red and captioned: “Beware of ‘forwarded as received’ Fake News and follow @BreakingNewsKE for all our 411 alerts.”
Chebukati was targeted by similar false claims in 2018 when a letter bearing the IEBC logo claimed that he had agreed to step down. But the commission dismissed the letter on its official Twitter account.
On 26 May, Chebukati appeared in a Citizen TV interview to discuss how the Covid-19 outbreak would affect the country’s electoral calendar. In the interview he was identified as the IEBC chairperson. The Facebook post claiming otherwise is false. – Grace Gichuhi
“BREAKING NEWS,” it begins. “Francis Atwoli appointed NEW IEBC chair after Wafula Chebukati resigned!!!” The post is dated 12 May 2020. Its claim also appears on Twitter.
Will Cotu’s Atwoli will now chair the electoral commission after Chebukati’s resignation? We checked.
‘Beware fake news’
The news has not been reported by credible news outlets in Kenya, a sign that it may not be accurate.
Capital FM shared a screenshot of WhatsApp message with the same claim, which included the station’s web address.
The screenshot is stamped “FAKE NEWS” in red and captioned: “Beware of ‘forwarded as received’ Fake News and follow @BreakingNewsKE for all our 411 alerts.”
Chebukati was targeted by similar false claims in 2018 when a letter bearing the IEBC logo claimed that he had agreed to step down. But the commission dismissed the letter on its official Twitter account.
On 26 May, Chebukati appeared in a Citizen TV interview to discuss how the Covid-19 outbreak would affect the country’s electoral calendar. In the interview he was identified as the IEBC chairperson. The Facebook post claiming otherwise is false. – Grace Gichuhi
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