In November 2020 a Facebook user shared a photo of a well known Kenyan singer to a group with more than 400,000 members, with the caption ‘R.i.p Emmy kosgei’.
Emmy Kosgei is popular in Kenya for songs such as Taunet Nelel. She now lives in Nigeria, where she is married to a prominent pastor.
The post drew varied reactions, with some expressing shock. But has the talented singer died?

Such a death would have been widely reported in Kenyan media. An online news search came up empty. The media have instead as recently as 26 November reported on her appreciation for her family.
Kosgei, 40, has also been active on social media in recent weeks. On 27 November she punted an appearance on Kenya’s Milele FM radio station. On the same day she appeared on another station, Radio Citizen.
On 20 November she mourned the death of a congregant, in an Instagram post that may have prompted the false Facebook message.
But Kosgei herself is very much alive. Such careless posts are likely to cause unnecessary distress. – Africa Check
Emmy Kosgei is popular in Kenya for songs such as Taunet Nelel. She now lives in Nigeria, where she is married to a prominent pastor.
The post drew varied reactions, with some expressing shock. But has the talented singer died?

No news reports, several media appearances
Such a death would have been widely reported in Kenyan media. An online news search came up empty. The media have instead as recently as 26 November reported on her appreciation for her family.
Kosgei, 40, has also been active on social media in recent weeks. On 27 November she punted an appearance on Kenya’s Milele FM radio station. On the same day she appeared on another station, Radio Citizen.
On 20 November she mourned the death of a congregant, in an Instagram post that may have prompted the false Facebook message.
But Kosgei herself is very much alive. Such careless posts are likely to cause unnecessary distress. – Africa Check
Republish our content for free
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.
Add new comment