• The headline had quoted the late governor’s wife as the source of information.
• However the star newspaper publication has urged the public to ignore the post terming it fake.
The Star Newspaper publication has distanced itself from a publication making rounds online with a headline linking Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua to the death of former Nyeri Governor Wahome Gakuru.
The fake headline had been placed on the purported Star Newspaper front page of May 19, 2022.
The headline had quoted the late governor’s wife as the source of information.
However, the Star Newspaper publication has urged the public to ignore the post terming it fake.
With only a few days to the August 9 general election, the growing scale and sophistication of fake news is causing alarm in newsrooms, government agencies and among the general public.
This comes despite the government launching the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee on November 4, 2021, an initiative aimed at reducing cybercrimes in the country ahead of the general election.
During the launch, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i cautioned Kenyans against circulating fake news on social media.
Matiang’i noted that fake news and propaganda had increased ahead of the general election, warning that stern action will be taken against those found culpable.
“We shall start with the Kenyan who acted like the CS Matiang’i and misled people that Thursday will be a public holiday to celebrate Diwali. Such people will have to face the law,” he warned.
The committee consisted of representatives from the Principal Secretary for State Department of Interior and Citizen Services, the Principal Secretary for State Department of ICT and Innovation, the Attorney-General, the Chief of Kenya Defense Forces, the Inspector-General of National Police Service, Director-General of the National Intelligence Service, Director-General of the Communications Authority of Kenya, Director of Public Prosecution, Governor of Central Bank of Kenya and Director of the Secretariat.