A 23-year-old Kenyan man has been arrested and charged with publishing false information with the intent to cause panic, after allegedly spreading disinformation about the coronavirus.
According to BBC, Elijah Muthui Kitonyo published the fake news on a fabricated Twitter account. A tweet said the Kenyan health ministry lied about the first confirmed case in the country coming from the US via London. It said the patient was coming from Rome.
The directorate of criminal investigations confirmed the arrest, adding that contravention of Kenya’s cyber laws could result in a fine of R830,000, a 10-year jail sentence, or both.
Kenyan man arrested for spreading fake news on coronavirus
Image: SIMON MAINA / AFP
A 23-year-old Kenyan man has been arrested and charged with publishing false information with the intent to cause panic, after allegedly spreading disinformation about the coronavirus.
According to BBC, Elijah Muthui Kitonyo published the fake news on a fabricated Twitter account. A tweet said the Kenyan health ministry lied about the first confirmed case in the country coming from the US via London. It said the patient was coming from Rome.
The directorate of criminal investigations confirmed the arrest, adding that contravention of Kenya’s cyber laws could result in a fine of R830,000, a 10-year jail sentence, or both.
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