An audio clip claims Kenya has recorded 63 cases of COVID-19.
The audio clip, which was extensively shared on WhatsApp, led to a number of tweets being posted on March 2 claiming that Kenya has recorded COVID-19 disease., The clip has been edited to sound like a press briefing on the state of novel coronavirus in Kenya, stating that the individuals who tested positive had been isolated at the Mbagathi Hospital., The person recorded in the audio clip states that there are 63 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus quarantined at the hospital, and that the cases are from Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa., However, the number of cases that the clip claims have been confirmed exceeds the 11 beds currently available at Kenyatta National Hospital, as well as a dedicated facility being set up in a repurposed building at the Mbagathi Hospital for any potential COVID-19 cases., The Ministry of Health responded to the claim in the audio clip about confirmed COVID-19 cases with a statement cautioning the public against the information, and adding that there is no confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country., The ministry further clarified that the audio shared was part of an exercise during a training on crisis communication held in Machakos as part of the country’s preparations for COVID-19., Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna also issued a statement urging Kenyans to ignore news that Kenya has confirmed cases of COVID-19., According to a tweet by the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH),the isolation ward at Mbagathi Hospital was still being set up, and it had not received any cases of the novel coronavirus., The Ministry of Health issued a statement indicating that the government has established isolation facilities at KNH and Mbagathi Hospital in preparation for any COVID-19 case., A number of reports have claimed that Kenya has had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, including one debunked by PesaCheck on February 29., On March 2 Senegal confirmed a case of COVID-19, becoming the fourth African country with a confirmed case after Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria., PesaCheck has looked into the claim that Kenya has confirmed 63 cases of COVID-19 and finds it to be FALSE., This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms., By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds., Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content., This fact-check was written by PesaCheck Fact-Checker Linda Ngari and edited by PesaCheck Deputy Editor Ann Ngengere with research input from Mercy Karagi., The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck Managing Editor Eric Mugendi., PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit pesacheck.org., PesaCheck is a joint initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with additional funding support from the International Budget Partnership (Kenya) and Twaweza, in partnership with a coalition of local media organisations, and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)., Written by, Written by
FALSE: Kenya has not recorded 63 COVID-19 cases - PesaCheck