Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, through his Director of Communications, addressed a letter circulating online alleging he had registered his own political party.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Thursday, the governor's Communications Director Elkana Jacob refuted the letter terming it fake.
"Ignore the propaganda and fake news. Governor Mike Sonko is firmly in control of the city and Jubilee Party affairs in Nairobi County," Jacob stated.
The letter which was termed as urgent claimed the governor had been granted permission by the Registrar of Political Parties and the National Executive Council had convened on July 24 to discuss recruitment.
[caption caption="Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko"]
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On Wednesday, the governor also had to dispell more fake news after a letter doing rounds on social media alleging he was resigning.
Through his Facebook page, Sonko maintained the letter addressed to the speaker of the County Assembly was sent by his political rivals.
"This is to state categorically that the said letter is a forgery and has not emanated from me and is a pack of lies and conjecture and clearly orchestrated by a coalition of cartels including politicians," Sonko stated.
Sonko asserted he was loyal to his supporters clarifying he was not ready to quit his job and cannot resign without consulting his political party.
"I urge my political nemesis to stop using this archaic tricks and await the coming elections which I will floor them all," governor Sonko stated.
Fake news has been rampant all over the world and Kenya was no exemption during the 2017 election which saw the country divided by online posts which gave false narratives of the situation.
A report by the BBC on the influx of fake news noted 2018 will probably see more fake news circulating around the big stories although there are efforts to try and limit its impact.
Facebook was attempting to alert users to potential misinformation by displaying fact-checked articles next to disputed stories while Twitter expanded its rules as to what was classed as hateful or harmful behavior on the platform.
Here is the fake letter:
[caption caption="The fake letter which was circulated online claiming governor Sonko had registered his own political party"]
