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No, Kenya’s Star newspaper didn’t publish report on face mask hawker diagnosed with Covid-19

A screenshot shared on Facebook claims a hawker selling face masks in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, has been diagnosed with Covid-19. It attributes the news to the Star, a Kenyan newspaper.

“A trader who is in ICU hawked masks in the streets of Nairobi for 3 weeks without realising he was carrying coronavirus,” the text reads.

“This week he fell ill and was admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Now the government is unable to trace his contacts. Anyone who might have purchased a mask around the Kencom area is called to come forth.”

An uncropped version of the screenshot suggests it was first posted by one “Kevin Terer”.

Is this story true? We checked.



‘This is fake’


In a Facebook post, the Star has dismissed the screenshot as fake.

“ALERT!!! This article by Kevin Terer that has been circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp purporting to be by The Star Kenya is FAKE and has not been published on our website or any of our social media pages,” the post reads. – Grace Gichuhi




 

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