Digital cards attributed to NTV and Citizen Digital claimed that the Ford Foundation had issued a statement apologizing to Kenyans for the misuse of funds intended for civil education and community engagement. The cards suggested that the funds were misused by recipients for illegal activities, allegedly confirming President Ruto’s accusations.
Background
On June 18, 2024, protests erupted in Kenya in response to the 2024 Finance Bill. Following mounting public pressure online and in the streets, the President withdrew the Finance Bill on June 26, 2024. However, the protests have not ceased; they have evolved into a broader movement demanding government accountability for years of alleged mismanagement of public funds. While the government has claimed the protests are financially backed, the youth across various social media platforms insist their actions are an organic, self-motivated push for transparency.
Recent allegations about the funding of these protests were sparked by President Ruto, who, on July 15, 2024, accused the Ford Foundation of financing the protests. This accusation made by the president during a speech in Nakuru fueled a wave of disinformation about the Ford Foundation, its grantees in Kenya, and their alleged involvement in the protests. However, President Ruto has failed to provide concrete evidence to substantiate his claims.
Verification
On July 15, 2024, the Ford Foundation issued an official statement, on its website, responding to President Ruto’s allegations. The statement clarified that the Foundation “does not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the Finance Bill and adheres to a strictly non-partisan policy for all grantmaking.”
The accounts that shared these digital cards typically post pro-government content and have a history of participating in coordinated disinformation campaigns, as documented here and here. This pattern is a red flag, suggesting caution when evaluating their content due to their bias and previous use of disinformation tactics.
One of the accounts spreading these fake digital cards is @PeterKariukiKE, who, according to his bio on X, is the Chief Editor at Mt Kenya News. This website is known for publishing sensationalist content, raising further concerns about the credibility of the information it disseminates. Notably, the information about the Ford Foundation’s alleged apology, which Peter has been sharing on X, was not featured on the news website where he is chief editor.
While the digital cards feature the media outlets’ colors, fonts, layouts, and logos, they are fake. These digital cards were not uploaded to the official social media platforms of the media outlets here for Citizen Digital or here for NTV Kenya, where such material is typically shared.
NTV Kenya also dismissed the digital card as fake through their official account on X.
Verdict
The digital cards attributed to Citizen and NTV quoting the Ford Foundation are FAKE.
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