Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili, popularly known as MP Babu Owino has come out to denounce a verified Twitter account bearing his name.
The matter was first brought to his attention by Kenyans.co.ke after analysing the verified account which bears a similar name to the one the MP is popularly known by.
In response, Owino claimed that his official account bore the name @HEBabuOwino and has 179,900 followers at the time of the writing of this article.
The fake account had only amassed 38,600 since its inception in January 2017.
In a video, the MP later recorded himself denouncing the account, Owino believed that his opponents were behind the fake account.
"I would like to make a clarification on my Twitter account. My official Twitter account is @HEBabuOwino. Twitter has done a great mistake to verify a fake account under my name called @HEBabuOwino1.
"That is not my account. It is a fake account and I would like to distance myself from it. Any other information that Kenyans will get from that account is fake," he stated.
He argued that they had stolen his identification documents and used them to secure the verification with the aim of tainting his image.
"The account which has been verified by Twitter means that the scammers went and forged my ID and used it for verification of the same account so ignore it," he added.
Twitter resumed verification of accounts towards the end of May after a four-year hiatus following complaints that the exercise was inconsistent.
The social media site had halted the exercise in 2017 after an uproar following its decision to verify an account run by Jason Kessler who was an organiser of a white supremacist rally.
The service resumed with updated requirements that saw some of the 360,000 already verified accounts stripped off the badge.
How to apply for Twitter Checkmark
To apply for the coveted status symbol, applicants are expected to update their handles with current information including a phone number and email address, then fill out a form requesting consideration as a verified user.
Once logged into the account, individuals should head to the 'Settings and Privacy' section before clicking on the 'Your Account' option in the resultant menu.
Users are then required to head to the 'Verified' tab where they can request for verification from an icon underneath.
Below is the video:
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