IN SHORT: As young Kenyans and activists plan new rounds of anti-government demonstrations, a letter seemingly from Kenya's anti-corruption commission summoning one of the activists has gone viral on social media. But it is fake.
A letter apparently from Kenya's Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) summoning activist Hanifa Farsafi over corruption allegations is circulating on social media.
According to the letter, Farsafi was to be questioned "regarding an unidentified sum of money collected through the online fundraising platform M-Changa".
"Your cooperation in this matter is crucial and appreciated. Failure to comply with this summons may result in further legal action as stipulated under Section 27 of the Act, which outlines the consequences of failing to attend or produce documents summoned," the letter reads, in part.
The EACC is responsible for collecting information and reporting on corruption in government and the public sector.
The letter went viral just weeks after local media outlets reported that over KSh29 million had been raised to pay for the medical expenses of injured anti-government protesters. Hundreds of protesters have reportedly been injured since the protests began on 18 June 2024. Farsafi was the coordinator of the fundraising campaign.
The protests, largely led by young people in Kenya, were sparked by the unpopular 2024 Finance Bill, which included controversial tax hike proposals.
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The demonstrations have continued even after Kenyan president William Ruto withdrew the bill and sacked almost his entire cabinet. They have since shifted to demanding better governance and Ruto's resignation.
More demonstrations have been planned for 8 August.
But is the letter legit? We checked.
Ignore fake letter
The EACC often informs the public about its summonses and arrests on its social media platforms, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). It also publishes such summonses on its website. Africa Check searched for the letter in question and came up empty.
Such summonses are also widely reported in the local media. However, we did not find any articles reporting on this.
On 23 July, the commission posted the circulating letter on its official Facebook account, with the word "fake" printed in red.
"In respect to this fake letter, the Commission has launched investigations with a view to taking appropriate action against the culpable person(s) who, by did of this action, have committed offences under various laws, including impersonating an EACC Investigator (Commission Secretary/CEO), a criminal offence under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003," the commission wrote.
The letter is fake and should be ignored.
