Election Day Live ( Polls, our podcast and possible voter apathy)

The Deep Dive 33rd Edition.

So what’s your election evening plan?

At Africa uncensored, we’ve had a full day livestream of in-depth conversations and great content around Kenya’s general election. Featuring special guests, live factchecking and a voters day experience by our reporters our a lot of new elections content on #TheBigPictureTakeOver. We’ve also had a series of Twitter Spaces featuring special guests - Wanjiru Nguhi of Fumbua, Amnesty Kenya Executive director Irungu Houghton and fan favorite comedian Njugush. The train keeps chugging along as we host Africa Check’s Alphonce Shiundu, Finance Uncovered’s Purity Mukami, Odipodev’s Odanga Madung and Ushahidi’s Angela Lungati, talking about the statistics and information environment going forward into the counting phase of the election.

Catch the Livestream recording on this link.

We also have a series of in-depth How To explainers for your watch as the vote tallying continues, as well as our last piece on the KURA Series, Women In Politics. Our team and reporters share their experience making these pieces

Our PigaFirimbi team is also working to verify any images, videos and forwards that are going round. Check out our Website and Twitter for our factchecks.

How to alienate and suppress voters By Sam Munia and Joy Kirigia

According to the Chapter 86 of the Constitution of Kenya on electoral system and process, in every election, the Independent and Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is expected to apply voting methods that are simple, accurate, verifiable, secure, accountable and transparent. The electoral management should ensure there are proper structures and mechanisms to eliminate electoral malpractices and safe keeping of electoral materials. However, the gaps and challenges to the electoral process have often led to voter disenfranchisement and apathy. In some cases, voters have been denied their democratic right to vote for their preferred candidates. This story looks into how errors, intentionally done or otherwise have led to voter dissatisfaction.

Watch How to alienate and suppress voters here.

How To Disrupt An Election By Joy Kirigia and Sam Munia

Travelling to the Rift Valley region during an election period exposes one to the political realities and the impact of elections to the people. The region has witnessed political violence since multipartyism in 1992. The exposure paints a picture on how voters are emotionally attached to their candidates and how the lack of trust and credibility of the electoral process can result in conflict. This in-depth explainer reveals the different ways/methods used to disrupt an election as well inform and educate the electoral managers and the electorates on the importance of a peaceful, free, fair and credible election.

Watch How to disrupt an election here

How to Mismanage Constituency Development Funds by Nyakerario Omari

Assume, constitutionally, you’re entrusted with 6.3million. Entirely for education and education related projects. To be more specific, you’re mandated to construct four blocks of classrooms in a school at the constituency you represent. A constituency whose voters trusted you with you 2.5% of the Government’s ordinary revenue and to represent their needs in parliament. So when the Auditor General’s report is published, turns out you’ve failed your people.

Reason, “the 6.3% could not be accounted for,” reads the audit. 

How to Mismanage Constituency Development Funds documents a case such as this in Laikipia East Constituency. An act which is now considered illegal and unconstitutional by the High Court of Kenya. While this sounds like a relief, do you wonder how much we've lost through misappropriation of these funds since its inception? 

KURA: Women in Politics by Cynthia Gichiri

The best part of producing this piece is the inspiration I got by spending time with each woman featured and listening to their stories of resilience and passion for transforming their communities. I hope that quality rubs off on me. I appreciated the unique challenges posed by patriarchy in different parts of the country, and the fact that despite the difficulties in implementing the two-thirds gender rule, women are fighting for their space with strength and grace. On a personal note, I wish all women vying for different positions in this election the very best.

SALINA’S FIGHT FOR VOTES

This podcast is the climax of a two-year fellowship on combating violence against women in politics and media by the National Democratic Institute and the International Women’s Media Foundation. Through the story of Salina Chepsat, an aspirant for the Mochongoi ward seat, we see how women politicians in Baringo South, Baringo county have maneuverer a turbulent campaign season amidst rampant banditry in the area.  With the support of NDI and IWMF, I spent two days with Chepsat and experienced the difficulty in travelling through the vast Mochongoi ward, and reaching people in conflict-ridden villages. It is one of those stories that make you wonder whether we all live in the same country.

Piga Firimbi Presents: A repository of debunked disinformation on Kenya's 2022 elections

Research has found that there is a real chance of mis/disinformation to inform the electorate's polling decisions, at the expense of democracy.

At Piga Firimbi, fact-checkers caught wind of elections-related disinformation dating as far back as February 2021, when we debunked Facebook posts that claimed to show an image of a burnt down car allegedly torched by "boda boda riders shouting choma dynasty". This was when Dynasty Vs Hustler was a heated political debate. We found that the image was originally from events that took place in the UK in a fact-check published here.

Elections-related fake news only kept escalating as the elections drew closer. Fact-checkers, only scratching the surface of publicly available disinformation, have debunked these claims in video formats, articles- both English and Swahili, and now The Verified Podcast. Notwithstanding that more disinformation circulated in encrypted social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, besides the private Facebook Groups, or the very niche and localised disinformation where users only communicate in vernacular. Either way, as the moment of truth is finally here, some last minute facts-filled information for your perusal can be found on Piga Firimbi's archive of all elections-related fact-checks here.

Fake News Debunking Podcasts By Calvin Rock And Linda Ngari

Propaganda isn’t a new phenomenon, it has always been there. However, mis information, disinformation and mal-information have become more prevalent, especially with the development of the new media which has largely enabled "one-click-mass-publishing"

With fake news, hoaxes, propaganda conspiracy theories and outright fabrications flying about all over social media, Africa Uncensored through its fact-checking desk saw it necessary to establish a fact-checking podcast 'Verified' where we tell you how to identify fake news while also debunking misinformation doing rounds. 

Verified is an inaugural fact-checking podcast that is co-hosted alternately by Africa Uncensored's fact-checking desk. The podcast is structured as a short conversational discourse to make it easy to listen to anywhere anytime. You can tune in to Verified on Spotify or Anchor and be the first on the know as we endeavour to teach, debunk and Verify.

Cheers.

Editorial Director: John-Allan Namu

Assignment Editor: Sam Munia

Contributors: John Allan Namu, Sam Munia, Joy Kirigia, Nyakeraio Omari, Linda Ngari, and Cynthia Gichiri.

Social Media Manager: K Muraguri G

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