Following the tabling of the 2024 Finance Bill, Kenyans have demanded for Members of Parliament to reject the bill, using social media to organize protests and amplify their opinions about the bill. In the midst of these protests, this graphic, attributed to NTV, was circulated on X allegedly quoting Mwea MP Hon. Mary Maingi as saying that she would vote yes for the Finance Bill, and pledging her loyalty to President William Ruto. It was also shared here, here, and here under the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024, further amplifying its reach.
Background
Kenyans have taken to social media to voice their grievances about the Finance Bill 2024 under the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024. On X, Kenyans shared the contact information of various members of Parliament, urging others to call and text their MPs to ask them to reject the bill. This online activism led to human rights activists calling for peaceful protests outside Parliament on June 18, 2024, to pressure their leaders further to shoot down the bill.
Verification
There is no evidence that Hon. Mary Maingi made the quote attributed to her. The font and layout is also different from what NTV uses in their social media graphics. The image shared also has NTV Adhuhuri branding and a timestamp at 1:08pm, when the station has a Swahili bulletin. The graphic would have been in Swahili if it was authentic.
NTV, through their official account on X, also disowned the graphic. Hon. Maingi dismissed the claims through her official account on X and urged Kenyans to verify information before sharing.
Verdict
This graphic with a quote from Mwea MP Hon. Mary Maingi attributed to NTV Kenya is FAKE.
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