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
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Further Reading
[email protected]: The challenges of working across Africa
Misinformation knows no borders and Africa Check often responds to similar false claims from country to country.
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