Kenya's 2017 election was absolutely awash with fake news and propaganda. 90% of citizens reported seeing or hearing false reports around the poll. Doctored pictures of newspapers, fake news videos and wholly fraudulent websites were created to spread lies. And suspicious attack ads for which no-one wanted to claim responsibility reached millions of people.
In an undercover investigation by the UK’s Channel 4, Cambridge Analytica's executives are seen discussing these kinds of methods as they claim to have overseen “just about every element of [President Uhuru Kenyatta’s] campaign” in 2017.
“We have rebranded the entire party twice, written the manifesto, done two rounds of 50,000 surveys...We'd write all the speeches and we'd stage the whole thing.” - CA’s Managing Director Mark Turnbull.
CA has gained notoriety for its possible role in manipulating social media to swing the Brexit referendum and US 2016 presidential elections. Its parent company was also involved in voter turnout suppression in Nigeria, according to The Guardian.
For anyone who's been sent stories over whatsapp warning about plastic rice or "proving" that Nigeria's President Buhari is really a clone from Sudan, it may come as little surprise that fake news stories travel faster and reach more people than real stories worldwide. This is the fertile soil in which false rumours sprout into genuine fears and beliefs.
Kenya appears to have been the testing ground for many of CA’s experiments, and it may now be at the frontline in combating this situation too. Campaigners, with support from the US, have launched a project to promote "media literacy" under the banner of #StopReflectVerify. If Kenyan activists gets a handle on this issue, one hopes they'll help the rest of the world next. While months of painstaking journalism may take Cambridge Analytica down, it will take much more to address this broader environment.
As for the involvement of Cambridge Analytica in African elections, the current revelations may only be the start. US and UK lawmakers have announced probes into the activities of the company and, combined with increasing scrutiny and regulation of social media platforms, this might be the first of many stories on voter manipulation in African elections. We'll follow this developing story closely and give you updates as more details emerge.