March 01, 2023
Kenya: A Third of Kenya's Budget Stolen? We Checked Former Senator's Claim About Much-Travelled Corruption Statistic
Have Kenyan government officials been claiming for more than 20 years that a third of the country's budget is lost to corruption? And does Kenya collect more revenue than Uganda,… Read more »
February 28, 2023
Africa: Dangerous Websites and Engagement Bait - Be Sceptical of Social Media Posts Making Unlikely Promises of Freebies or 'Donations'
IN SHORT: A multitude of Facebook posts offering free houses and free Honda Civic cars are like empty promises we've seen before. They're scams trying to retrieve personal… Read more »
Nigeria: Video of Attack On Nigeria's NNPP Presidential Candidate's Supporters? No, It's Just Clickbait
A Facebook post links to a video published on a blog with the claim it shows supporters of New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso being attacked… Read more »
Africa: No, Gammora HIV 'Cure Kits' Not Medically Proven - Stick to Approved Treatment
IN SHORT: HIV/Aids can't be cured, but can be treated and managed with antiretroviral drugs as a chronic disease. Claims that there is a "cure" for the human immunodeficiency… Read more »
Kenya: Video of High School Students Being Bullied Not From Kenya, but Zimbabwe
IN SHORT: A video and photos circulating on social media claims to show two high school boys being bullied by fellow students in Kenya. However, the incident took place in… Read more »
Nigeria: No, Opposition Presidential Candidate Abubakar Hasn't Defeated Ruling APC in 'All Local Councils' in Nigeria's Osun State
IN SHORT: Osun state in southwest Nigeria has 30 local government areas, not 20. So the claim that PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar "won all 20 LGAs" to defeat his rival… Read more »
Nigeria: No, Video Doesn't Show Fire At Lapido Market Two Days After Nigeria's 2023 Presidential Election - Incident From 2022
IN SHORT: On 27 February 2023, it was announced that Peter Obi had won the votes of the people of Lagos in his bid for Nigeria's presidency. A video doing the rounds online has… Read more »
Kenya: Thousands of Vacancies in Kenya's Forest Service? Yes, but Fee-for-Jobs Ad Is a Scam
IN SHORT: The Kenya Forest Service is recruiting, but you do not have to pay to apply. Disregard any social media ads asking you to do this. Read more »
Africa: No, Pressing the ATM's Cancel Button Won't Prevent Bank Card Fraud
IN SHORT: The claim that pressing the "cancel" button on an ATM up to four times to prevent card fraud has resurfaced online. But it's still incorrect. Read more »
Kenya: Prayers for Ksh1,000? Beware of Facebook Page Impersonating Kenyan Church
IN SHORT: Kenyan preacher Ezekiel Odero has been impersonated on a number of Facebook pages, claiming to represent him and his church and asking for donations in return for… Read more »
February 27, 2023
Nigeria: No, PDP Candidate Abubakar Didn't Withdraw From Nigeria's Presidential Race
IN SHORT: Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party was one of the four frontrunners in the presidential elections. If he had dropped out on the day of the vote it would have… Read more »
Nigeria: Beware Clickbait Posts Offering N10,000 From Nigeria Presidential Candidate Bola Tinubu's Campaign
IN SHORT: If you vote for Nigeria's ruling party candidate, N10,000 awaits you, say posts on Facebook disguised as warnings against vote-buying. Don't click on them. Read more »
Nigeria: Beware Twitter Accounts Impersonating Nigeria's Labour Party Vice Presidential Candidate
It's been two days since Nigeria's 2023 presidential election, and the disinformation keeps coming. . Read more »
Kenya: No, Claims That Kenya's Chief Justice Martha Koome Involved in Accident False
IN SHORT: False information about the country's top judge continues to be shared on social media, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Read more »
February 24, 2023
Nigeria: No, Nigeria's Central Bank Hasn't Closed Three Digital Banks Amid Cash Crisis
IN SHORT: A shortage of cash has left Nigerians scrambling for alternatives. But the claim that some digital banks are being shut down is false. Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Central Bank to Allow All Old Banknotes to Circulate Until May? No, Press Release Fake
IN SHORT: As Nigeria struggles with a shortage of cash after a swap of old banknotes with new, redesigned currency, a press release seemingly from the central bank says the… Read more »
February 23, 2023
Nigeria: Federal Legislator Misleads About the Law and Nigerian Politician's Campaign Cash
The house of representatives majority leader Alhassan Doguwa recently claimed the law allowed him N70 million - in cash - for election expenses. We checked this and three other… Read more »
Kenya: Photos of Vehicle and Weapons Snapped in 2018, Not During 2023 Security Operation in Kenya's North Rift
IN SHORT: Kenya's government is battling banditry in the North Rift region, where it has recently launched a new police and military operation. But photos circulating with the… Read more »
Kenya: No, Viral Photos Don't Show Antelope Shoes Worn By Bandits in Kenya
IN SHORT: A recent flare-up of violent banditry in Kenya's northern Rift Valley region, and the security forces' response, has prompted several false claims on social media. One is… Read more »
February 22, 2023
Nigeria: How Old - or Young - Are the Candidates? Where Are the Women?
Nigeria's electoral commission recently released data on the 2023 general election candidates. We took a closer look - and found some interesting facts voters should know. Read more »
February 21, 2023
Kenya: No, Human Rights Watch Didn't Release Statement Linking Waithera Death to Fraud Case Against Former CEO of Kenya's Public Medical Insurer
IN SHORT: Human Rights Watch didn't release a statement saying the bizarre and tragic killing of National Hospital Insurance Fund staffer Lilian Waithera was because she was a… Read more »
February 20, 2023
Nigeria: Examining Popular Website Legit.Ng's Claims About MTN Nigeria's 'Historic' N2 Trillion Revenue
A widely read Nigerian news site has celebrated telecoms giant MTN's recent earnings. Read more »
Kenya: Ignore Scam Facebook Account Impersonating Kenyan President and First Lady
IN SHORT: The page combines the (misspelled) names of Kenyan president William Ruto and his wife Rachel Ruto. And it offers a fantastic prize of KSh27,000 for doing very little -… Read more »
Africa: Yes, Chinese Scientist Tu Youyou Did Win Nobel Prize in 2015 for Discovery of Antimalarial and Has Stayed Mostly Out of the Limelight
IN SHORT: It's not surprising that certain claims go viral online, like the one that a cure for a dangerous disease was discovered by an anonymous Chinese woman who wasn't even a… Read more »
February 17, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's 'Ksh500 Billion Government Borrowing' Furore - What the Data Showed
In January 2023, Kenya's most widely read newspaper corrected a story attributing an eye-catching borrowing spree to the country's new government. Read more »