Fake News: Larry Madowo Misquoted on Finance Bill Protests
StorySpotlight
By Seliphar Machoni
A post has been circulating on X (formerly Twitter) purportedly from Kenyans.co.ke, quoting CNN journalist Larry Madowo commenting on the anti-finance bill protests in Kenya.
The X page claimed that Madowo had said, “Gen Z are the ones protesting on the streets, shouting #rejectfinancebill2024, #RevolutionKe, while in the real sense, they don’t remit taxes. Let’s all participate in paying taxes to revamp our economy. Blue band people! Let’s meet on Tuesday is a scam!”
The graphic, which featured an image of Larry Madowo and was dated June 19, 2024, read: “As much as we would like to commend my brothers and sisters in the creative industry and young content creators who have come out in large numbers to oppose the finance bill, I would also like to tell them that nothing good comes from solving things violently.”
As the anti-finance bill protests continue in different parts of the country, Generation Z has been lauded for their participation in the movement dubbed “Reject Finance Bill.” However, did Larry Madowo actually comment on the conduct of the content creators who joined the protesters?
After fact-checking the post and the account circulating it, the purported card does not appear on Kenyans.co.ke’s official social pages, where they typically publish their posts.
According to Kenyans.co.ke’s social media manager Brian Mumo, the post is fake. “The post is fake; the font is off, and we also don’t put full stops at the end of our posts,” Mumo said in an interview with Pesa Check.
Madowo also took to his official social media accounts to refute the claim. “I didn’t say this. Don’t be misled by disinformation,” Madowo wrote.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan police are under scrutiny for meting out violence during what have been viewed as peaceful protests. Over 200 protesters were reported arrested during the Tuesday demonstrations.
After investigating the post that was claimed to be from Kenyans.co.ke quoting CNN journalist Larry Madowo on the 2024 finance bill protests, it is concluded that it is a fake post.
