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Govt warns Kenyans against spreading fake news, alarming videos on Coronavirus

By Amina Wako March 15th, 2020 1 min read

The government said it has noted videos making rounds on social media with fake information about the coronavirus and the situation of its spread in the country.

Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna said the videos have been forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for investigation and punitive action to be taken.

“The fake and alarming videos on #covid19kenya #coronaInkenya have been forwarded to Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for investigations, arrest, and prosecution of such individuals,” Oguna said.

Further, the government stated that the only channels it is using on twitter to share information on the Covid-19  are the Ministry of Health’s (@Moh_Kenya) and The Government Spokesperson’s (@SpokespersonGoK).

The statement by the government spokesperson comes hours after a Kenyan woman took to social media and posted a video claiming to be the woman allegedly quarantined at the Mbagathi Hospital, denying being infected.

The video went viral with many Kenyans wondering if in deed she was the patient in the first case of Covid-19 reported in the country.

“The government has taken note of videos doing the rounds on social media with fake information on #coronaInkenya which are aimed at misinforming & causing unnecessary panic to the public,” Oguna further added.

On Friday, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe confirmed the country’s first case of coronavirus after a 27-year-old female student who arrived in the country on March 5 from the US via London tested positive.

The patient is said to have flown from Ohio, U.S. where she is a student.

From Chicago, she flew to London and then to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 5, 2020.