Ignore fake news graphics claiming that Kenyan cabinet minister's son launched cyber attacks on the country's digital systems
Graphics, seemingly from several media outlets, and an official-looking letter linking Leslie Muturi to cyber attacks on critical government systems are circulating online. But both the graphics and the letter are fake.
An image designed to look like an NTV Kenya news graphic reads: "Leslie Muturi worked with an Indian IT company called Astra GP to carry out cyberattacks on the Kenyan government."
Leslie Muturi is the son of Justin Muturi, Kenya's current minister of public service.
This graphic has been making the rounds on X, previously Twitter, alongside other graphics and posts claiming the alleged cyber attack took place during Kenya's 2024 anti-finance bill protests.
A graphic and a letter, apparently published by Citizen TV, have also been posted on Facebook, purportedly from the Director of Public Prosecutions and approving the charges against Leslie Muturi and others.
Collectively, these posts have been viewed over 25,000 times.
The context
In June 2024, during protests against the finance bill, Leslie Muturi was reportedly abducted by unknown armed people suspected to be state security officers. This came amid reports of other abductions targeting the protesters. He was later released.
In late December, amid increasing reports of abductions in the country, the abduction of a young man from Embu county, allegedly because of his social media posts, drew condemnation and sparked protests. Justin Muturi, who attempted to read president William Ruto's condolence message during a funeral in Embu, was shouted down by mourners who did not want to hear from the president.
Despite being a cabinet secretary, Muturi questioned why the government was unable to solve the increasing cases of abductions.
Days later, at a press briefing on the increased abductions, the minister alleged the country's intelligence service (NIS) was behind his son's abduction in June 2024. He later made a public statement about Leslie Muturi's abduction, saying he had to seek the intervention of the president to secure his release. He said that no reason was ever given for his son's abduction.
But are these graphics authentic, claiming that Leslie Muturi was involved in cyber attacks? We checked.
Graphics are fabricated
Africa Check searched the social media pages of NTV Kenya and CitizenTV Kenya but did not find the graphics. Instead, we saw that NTV Kenya posted a blurred version of the same graphic and flagged it as fake.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions also flagged the letter in circulation as fake.
Leslie Muturi's 2024 incident was reported as an abduction, not an arrest. There are no credible reports that he has been taken to any police station or formally charged. If the allegations of his involvement in cyber attacks were true, they would be supported by credible reports from security agencies and media sources. Instead, both government and media sources have refuted these allegations.
Given that several of these fake graphics and posts appeared around the same time on 16 January, targeting both Leslie and Justin Muturi with multiple unverified claims, this appears to be a coordinated social media attack.
The timing suggests an attempt to discredit Justin Muturi, likely because of his recent statements against abductions and ongoing speculation about possible political realignments.
The claim that several media outlets reported that Leslie Muturi launched cyber attacks against digital systems in Kenya is false.