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Is social media disinformation a threat to Kenya’s election?

A series of studies have found high levels of false information circulating online

In much of the world, social media platforms are the number one source of information for young people.

So it’s disturbing that several reports have been released showing that Kenya’s social media space is being flooded with misinformation, fake reports and distorted truths – all aimed at misleading voters ahead of the general elections this August.

The latest includes findings by the Mozilla Foundation which discovered manipulated TikTok videos spreading political lies and ethnic hatred - viewed over four million times before the platform took them down. In the previous 2017 campaign, Cambridge Analytica did the same through Facebook, curating content in favour of the political party which eventually won the election.

For Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja hears from the fact-checkers and crusaders fighting to keep the online space honest… as well as from a young social media user trying to sort truth from fiction

Presenter: Alan Kasujja (@kasujja)

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17 minutes

Podcast