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Election influencers for hire: Kenya's disinformation factories
The rising dominance of Twitter and Facebook in Kenya has spawned a new industry full of online personalities who parrot politicians' views, create false narratives and promote conspiracies.
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Ian James Mwai (R), 23, browses social media platforms on his mobile phone with another social media influencer at an office in Thika town, central Kenya on April 26, 2022. (AFP/Tony Karumba)
I
n a nondescript office north of Kenya's capital Nairobi, social media influencer Ian James Mwai constantly glances at his two mobile phones, wary of missing an opportunity to promote the political party he works for.
The 23-year-old is in the vanguard of the growing ranks of influencers feverishly punching keyboards and hoping to tilt the outcome of the country's high-stakes elections, which are less than 100 days away.
The rising dominance of platforms like Twitter and Facebook has opened up a new front in Kenyan politics, with candidates desperate to draw the attention of the country's 12 million social media users.
"This election is going to be very close," Mwai told AFP.
"Any politician who chooses to ignore social media is a fool."
Demographics are a key factor behind the drive: Kenya's population is estimated to be 50 million, more than half of them under 35. Six million youngsters will also become eligible to vote this year as they come of age.
It has spawned a new industry -- packed with online personalities who parrot politicians' views, create false narratives, deflect criticism and promote viral conspiracies.
