This image circulating on Facebook and Twitter claims to show an opinion poll from Infotrak, supposedly showing Johnson Sakaja as the most preferred Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant at a comfortable 71% lead above Polycarp Igathe’s 15%.
Background
According to a London School of Economics report on ‘Why are Polls Important during Elections’, “Opinion polls help politicians understand what the public wants, and the public understand who is popular at the ballot box.”
Electoral polls’ legitimacy was recently called to question by Deputy President William Ruto who accused pollsters of being ‘fake’ and ‘part of a scheme to rig the August 9 elections.’
Opinion polls have an obvious sway on the electorate’s perception in the run-up to a general election, making them an effective tool in disinformation campaigns. Piga Firimbi debunked a fake poll result here and here.
Verification
The digital card allegedly by NTV does not appear on any of the media platform’s social media accounts pages. In fact, NTV dismissed the image as fake.
Be aware of fake news! If it is not on our official social media pages, it is fake. pic.twitter.com/ADtBiWGJNY
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) June 21, 2022
Furthermore, Infotrak, the organization alleged to be behind the poll dis not publish the poll either. All polls carried out by Infotrak are invariably shared on their official Twitter handle for the public to access. Here is Infotrak’s latest popularity ratings published on June 8, 2022.
Verdict
The Nairobi gubernatorial poll claiming to be from NTV is FAKE.
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