Elements of Fake News in the 2022 General Elections in Kenya

Abstract

This article discusses the manifestation of fake news in Kenya’s last general election based on a study of audio-visual content that was shared between June and December, 2022. It identifies the use of audio-visual content as fake news in the 2022 Kenyan general elections; identifies the themes of the audio-visual content used in Kenya’s 2022 general elections and analyzes the impact it had on the electoral discourse in the country. It is from this that it identifies gaps and gives recommendations including those on policy and hopes to contribute to scholarship on fake news whose interest among stakeholders keeps on growing. One of these recommendations is to teach fact-checking as a general course in institutions of higher learning. This should not be focused on journalists alone since everyone has the ability to create fake news content or to become its victim.