• Omwoyo said it is vital to equip journalists and the media with the right tools to maintain accuracy and truth.
• Alphonse Shiundu from Africa Check said during elections, facts usually take a back seat as emotions take the front seat.
Image: KATIBA INSTITUTE
The Media Council of Kenya has launched a platform to stop the spread of fake news and misinformation during the electioneering period.
The council, in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund, on Friday launched the iVerify platform to counter false information shared online.
MCK chief executive officer David Omwoyo said Kenyans can trust the platform to debunk any information they suspect is untrue.
"More than 25 per cent of Kenyans do not trust the media because of fake news. However, mainstream media and religious leaders still top the list of the most trusted sources of information by Kenyans," he said.
Omwoyo said it is vital to equip journalists and the media with the right tools to maintain accuracy and truth.
"iVerify is a virtual network that will help to fact-check information as it happens. We have 71 full-time media analysts from the council, teams of many volunteers and journalists in newsrooms across the country at our disposal," he said.
Anyone can access the platform to get accurate information.
"You can upload the information you wish to cross-check onto the iVerify website at iverify.co.ke or the platform's Twitter and Facebook platforms," Omwoyo said.
Once the information is uploaded, fact-checkers will work using tools such as Reverse Video Search to find out if a video, for example, is factual and then give feedback on its authenticity.
Victor Bwire, a media trainer at MCK, said iVerify will work as a national fact-checking platform. He said there are virtual desks of fact-checkers across the 47 counties.
"If I notice something is wrong with the information I am getting from Busia or Wajir for instance, I can go to iVerify and look up the information and colleagues from those areas can check on their side," he said.
Bwire said they are partnering with media houses, freelancers, bloggers, community radio and television stations and fact-checking organisations such as Africa Check to give facts, debunk falsehoods and identify hate speech.
Alphonse Shiundu from Africa Check said during elections, facts usually take a back seat as emotions take the front seat.
"The biggest concern right now is the active misinformation, disinformation and influence of the public that is taking place online and offline," he said.
Shiundu said if no one is available to fact-check, merchants of misinformation may even attack the credibility of the electoral agency and risk polarising Kenya.
Information and Communication Technology PS Esther Koimet praised MCK's move.
"It is commendable that in anticipation for the August 9 general elections, MCK and UNDP have come together to make this platform a reality and even build the capacity of journalists in fact-checking," she said.
Koimet expressed hope that the platform would assist in restoring law and order, especially on the use of social media, in sharing accurate and balanced information.
Edited by A.N