Unchecked flow of rumours and lies should worry us
By Hansen Owilla, May 19, 2025Kenya’s public sphere is increasingly saturated with confusing and contestable information and perspectives aimed at shaping political discourse. New actors have emerged, focusing primarily on the production and dissemination of editorial content.
Interestingly these emergent editorial spaces, often labelled by scholars as the “fifth estate”, are attracting significant audiences and, in some cases, sustainable advertising revenue at their scale, something that legacy media is struggling with.
The concern, however, is not with their emergence, because diversity in media voices is essential for democratic discourse. The real challenge lies in the types of ideas gaining traction in these spaces, and the veracity and values of the information disseminated. You see, most of these spaces are driven by reach and the more sensational an issue or a political personality afforded time on these spaces, the higher the traction.
Often entertainers and comedians with massive followings have leveraged their popularity to push alternative discourse and afford some polluting discourse attention in the public sphere.
A striking example is a recent interview with the impeached former Deputy President. Speaking on one of these new, liberal platforms, he worryingly claimed that if the 2027 elections are manipulated by the electoral body, it will make the 2007/2008 post-election violence look like a “Christmas party”.
That such a statement could enter public discourse without scrutiny or fact-checking is deeply troubling. It raises concerns about the integrity of platforms that allow politically motivated individuals to present unverified, inflammatory rhetoric as credible information. What exactly – other than throwing diatribes at his former boss – has the dethroned DP done to suggest that he is anywhere close to a formidable contestant in the 2027 elections?
Even with absolutely zero basis to buttress his claim as a formidable candidate, it seems like the serious interrogation of his wild claims by a legacy media outlet journalist just a few weeks ago has informed his move to these spaces, some of which are often funded by undisclosed interests, including political formations, enabling actors to masquerade as legitimate sources of public interest journalism. While the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of expression, this must be balanced with social responsibility and public interest considerations.
The current digital ecosystem seems to permit the unchecked flow of rumours, innuendo, curated falsehoods, and “alternative truths,” amplified by algorithms that feed users what they want to hear.
The former DP clearly has an interest in contesting the 2027 elections. Despite his impeachment, he seems to believe he remains a viable candidate, pending appeals. Politically, he remains a formidable grassroots mobiliser. He has reportedly pulled a significant voting bloc from Kenya Kwanza and energised a section of the electorate with combative rhetoric targeting the President and other State actors. However, his narrative lacks substantive policy alternatives or a clear vision for leadership, an omission that should be dissected by any responsible platform hosting him even as they did deep into most of the allegations he makes against the regime.
The writer is a media studies Researcher
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