In this digital era, misinformation and disinformation has taken a hold in our spaces, often with malicious intent to spread false information. Since 2022, we have witnessed a rise in such rhetorics against the LGBTQ+ community which has affected the mainstream narratives on the lived experiences of queer people.We, therefore as INEND In partnership with major digital outlets and media houses decided to conduct a campaign on Fact-checking claims and statements about LGBTQ+ and lived realities by utilising post hoc fact-checking tactics against claims and statements by influential members of society on LGBTIQ+ communities.
We provided and verified written reports of inaccuracies questioning the reporting and issued statements to correct perceptions, as well as discourage politicians and those in influential/opinion leaders from spreading false or misleading claims.
The campaign was launched together with various partners such as Fumbua, Baraza Media Lab, Minority Africa, GenderIT, GlobalVoices and The Elephant.
Here are the efforts we embarked on during this campaign:
In March 2024, SethNoToGays trended on Kenyan Twitter but was the trend coincidental or the result of a coordinated campaign? Misinformation & Disinformation campaigns have Taken root in Kenya through coordinated campaigns to mimic ‘Kenyans’ opinions. Lgbtqkenya EqualityForAll PrideInTruth #LGBTQ#LGBTQTik#Misinformation#Disinformation @barazamedialab @fumbuake
What do the countries, Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, Niger, Tanzania and Uganda have in common? Six of these countries recently proposed changes in their laws and policies, targeting the LGBTQ community, and not in a good way. According to Amnesty International, these six countries comprise, “An ominous wave of similarly worded legislation,” regarding LGBTQ rights, or lack thereof. More than 30 African countries still criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, but the wave of radicalization and homophobia across Africa in 2023 was almost coordinated. EqualityForAll FreedomForAll LGBT LGBTQKenya StopHomophobia PrideInTruth Tanzania Ghana LGBTQAfrica Niger CameroonLGBTQ NamibiaLGBTQ #botswana🇧🇼tiktok Uganda #UgandaLGBT#AHA gaytiktok wlw SayNoToHomophobia #AmnestyInternational
FABRICATED: Digital cards perpetrating LGBTQ+ hate and discrimination In the wake of LGBTIQ+ activist Edwin Chiloba’s murder, a digital card, purportedly from Kenyans.co.ke was circulated, falsely claiming that Kenyan President William Ruto allegedly endorsed the killing of homosexual individuals. Those spreading these claims capitalised on Ruto’s opposition to same-sex relationships in Kenya. Despite being debunked as fake, other accounts reposted the digital card, giving it a wider reach. Adding to the wave of misinformation, a Facebook page under the username Lightcast TV Kenya shared a video featuring Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Gladys Shollei addressing parliament. Alongside the video is the caption; “Blow to LGBTQ Community as the parliament unanimously pass the bill to ban homosexuality and same-gender marriage in Kenya”. The media has unfortunately also played a role in spreading disinformation against the LGBTIQ+ community. A video uploaded on Nation’s YouTube channel, with over one million subscribers, features former President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing the public with a misleading caption. The caption reads “President Uhuru’s harsh warning to the LGBTQ+ community,” in a video uploaded on November 8, 2019.The video is indeed from November 8, 2019, when the then president was presiding over a high-level forum with community elders from 22 counties to discuss ending female genital mutilation by 2022. He is not addressing the LGBTIQ+ community as the misleading caption alleges. Here is a video debunking how misinformation is spreading in Kenya. Kenya PrideInTruth StopDiscrimination StopHate LGBTQKenya LGBTQ #fypシ゚ fyb Queertiktok Disinformation Misinformation
@citizengo , a Western-rooted organisation that leads in the Anti-Gender rhetorics against Women’s and LGBTQ+ Human Rights shared a Kenyan petition with malicious intent to sway the public’s opinion using outdated research that is more than 10 years old. They are also misleading the public on the source of the research to be IPSOS Kenya(renown for Electoral polls). However, we contacted the IPSOS Kenya manager who categorically stated that IPSOS has never conducted such research. This tactic of using data-driven campaigns for persuasion is being largely used by Anti-Gender Groups worldwide to make it seem like the popular opinion and we urge you to please verify such claims by such groups. @FumbuaKe #PrideInTruth#misinformationcampaign#disinformation#NotFamilyFriendly Gays in kenya gay kenyans in tiktok Igbtq lesbian tiktok kenyan videos Being gay in kenya
WESTERN ANTI-RIGHTS INFLUENCE IN AFRICA Is it possible that foreign influence could be dragging African countries into culture wars? In recent months, more than six African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda, proposed changes in laws and policies affecting LGBTQ communities. At the forefront of these movements, attempting to legislate morality, is an organisation called CitizenGo. CitizenGo is tied to a right-wing political party in Spain called Vox Party. The organisation is reported to have been involved in fundraising for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 and is not only hell-bent on anti-choice campaigns but also aligned with Islamophobic campaigns. It counts among its trustees religious groups, such as the Catholic Church in Peru, the Russian Orthodox Church, the World Congress of Families, and conservative media groups and oligarchs. 34 of 52 petitions on the CitizenGo website are explicitly aimed at Ghana and Kenya, with almost half focused on anti-abortion. CitizenGo boasts of some of its success stories, including its petition to protect Kenya’s churches from taxation. They employ particularly dogmatic tactics. In 2020, CitizenGo was behind sponsored smear campaigns against Kenya’s Reproductive Healthcare Bill and a Surrogacy Bill. As part of the campaign, they would create posters attacking female politicians like Susan Kihika and Esther Passaris. According to a report by the Mozilla Foundation, influencers behind this campaign were paid up to 15 dollars per campaign by individuals on behalf of CitizenGO. PrideInTruth StopDisinformation ProtestsKenya LGBTQKenya
”GAY Z” PROTESTS KENYA Kenya’s anti-government protests have been an online-first movement under RejectFinanceBill The political elite tried to dismiss it and unsurprisingly went ahead to pass the Bill in its first reading. Part of the arguments that shaped parliament’s debate included that the mostly-young protesters were just doing it for TikTok Another way that government would deflect, was by blaming it on Russia by the government spokesperson Issac Mwaura In a more elaborate effort to deflect, and trivialise the legitimate grievances that young people have been agitating for,a group of trolls was up and running by 6AM on July 8th, to launch a campaign under GayZ LGBTQKanairo Right2Kiss Setting the tone for the hashtags was the use of A.I-generated graphics, posing as digital cards from reputable media organizations, and some even implicating international organizations like Amnesty. It was evident that the campaign was funded by interest groups, because most of the accounts involved typically contain paid for promotion content. PrideInTruth StopDisinformation ProtestsKenya LGBTQKenya
Did Kenya’s National Assembly unanimously pass a bill banning homosexuality and same-sex marriage in Kenya? NO LGBTQ Misinformation Disinformation PrideInTruth jichopevu mohammedAli gladysshollei kenyaparliament uongo
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