Social media was awash with rumours that Kenyan writer and academician Ngugi wa Thiong'o had passed away on Thursday, December 16.
The news has since been debunked as fake. Thiong'o's son, Mukoma Wa Ngugi, issued a statement saying that his father was doing well.
"Just got off the phone with pops, Ngugi Wa Thiongo and he is doing well - we shared a good laugh about his supposed demise. But good to see so many people caring," Mukoma wrote on his Twitter page.
Ngugi is known for writing his books primarily in the Gikuyu language. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature.
Some of the books he has written include; Weep Not, A Grain of Wheat, The River Between, Petals of Blood, Caitaani Mutharaba-ini, Mũrogi wa Kagogo among others.
Recently, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i warned Kenyans against creating fake posts.
During the launch of the National Computer and Cybercrime Coordination Committee (NCCCC) on Wednesday, November 4, the CS warned that there would be repercussions for making the false posts.
He noted that the newly launched government agency would help them in dealing with such incidents.
"Now is the time that we need to invest heavily in training people in preparing ourselves in dealing with the issue of cybersecurity. This is serious business. This is no child play. We need to be very serious about this thing," the CS stated.
On his part, ICT CS Joe Mucheru, specifically stated that NCCCC would deal with individuals peddling fake death publications.
"The sad thing is that people will not only give public holidays but they even kill people on social media. We have lost some very important people on social media only to find out that they are alive yet their families have gone through so much disgrace and stress,” Mucheru lamented.
