Man Nabbed For Fake News On Coronavirus In Kenya
A 23-year-old man arrested by Kenya Police for publishing false information on the spread of COVID-19. The culprit by name Elijah Muthui Kitonyo was arrested in Mwingi town in eastern Kenya for claiming that the Government gave false information on the first confirmed case of coronavirus that was recorded in the country.
The tweet on a fake account, which was widely circulated on social media over the weekend, claimed that the patient who had the infection had originated from Rome in Italy and not the United States through London as stated by the government
The arrest was confirmed by the directorate of criminal investigations in a tweet.
He will be charged with publishing false information that can cause panic.
Violating Kenya’s cybercrimes law could attract a fine of $50,000 (£40,000) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday warned citizens against publishing and sharing misinformation on coronavirus.
The culprit has been remanded in prison.
