No, Kenyan MP Ken Okoth is not dead

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on April 10, 2019 at 11:30
  • 2 min read
  • By AFP Kenya, Mary KULUNDU

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Various Facebook and Twitter posts claimed on Tuesday that Ken Okoth, a Kenyan MP who is battling cancer, had died while receiving treatment. Okoth, the member of parliament for Kibra, responded to the widely circulated rumours through a tweet stating: “I am alive and kicking.”

Okoth's name began trending on Kenyan Twitter when the claim began circulating mid-morning on Tuesday.

A website called Kwetu FM published an article claiming that Okoth’s office had confirmed his death in a statement. The website has a similar name to the better-known Qwetu Radio. While it contains a large number of news articles from Kenya and abroad, the link to its “about us” page does not work, meaning the site is of questionable credibility.

Screenshot taken April 9, 2019 of the Kwetu FM website

Polycarp Hinga, a well-known blogger who has more than 35,000 followers on Twitter, also tweeted the information but apologised after the response from Okoth.

The claim was also shared on WhatsApp groups, causing a bit of panic among social media users who started questioning whether the information was true.

Screenshot taken on April 9, 2019 shows a web user's reaction after the Ken Okoth death claim
Screenshot taken on April 9, 2019 shows a web user's reaction after the Ken Okoth death claim
Screenshot taken on April 9, 2019 shows a web user's reaction after the Ken Okoth death claim

Okoth, who uses Twitter quite regularly, dismissed the claims via his account stating: “I'm alive and kicking. Folks should stop killing me before my time with rumours.”

Two months ago, the lawmaker -- whose constituency Kibra is Kenya’s largest slum -- confirmed he had been diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. Okoth has been very open with details concerning his condition and at one point he posted images to show how chemotherapy had affected his skin.

Rumours of the deaths of prominent personalities are not a new occurrence in Kenya. Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to respond when false rumours of the death of Kenya's second president, Daniel Moi, circulated online.

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