Kenyans to be charged for spreading fake news about outbreak of coronavirus

Kenya’s government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna has warned that nationals risk being fined $50,000 or be jailed for two years for publishing or sharing fake news about outbreak of coronavirus.

Oguna says detectives from the cybercrime unit are analysing content shared online for investigation, arrest and prosecution of those culpable.

Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes law, criminalises sharing of false, misleading or fictitious information and stipulates a fine of 5m Kenyan shillings ($50,000) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.

Kenya, like many governments across the world, has been grappling with cases of false alerts being shared on social media.

The ministry of health on Monday was forced to issue a statement explaining that a four-minute clip in circulation that gave the false impression that the government had confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country., was from a simulation event held over the weekend.