What to Do When a Fake Document About Your Campaign Goes Viral

When a fake document about your campaign goes viral, deny it quickly on your own verified channels, show people why it is fake, ask a fact-checker to rule on it, and keep a record in case the police get involved. Keep the false claim out of your headline and leave the people sharing it alone. Three fakes about Kenyan politics were exposed this way in August and September 2026, and the responses show what works.

Three fakes from 2026

The first was a seat-sharing deal. A document claiming the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) had divided up the governor, senator and woman representative seats in six Coast counties went round on TikTok and elsewhere. On 1 September 2026 ODM said: "Treat this as fake news," and told supporters to rely on its official website and channels, Kenyans.co.ke reported. Nathaniel Mong'are, UDA's communications director, told PesaCheck: "It's fake. It is not a document that has been sanctioned by the party." PesaCheck ruled it fake on 11 September. One of the giveaways it listed was the missing UDA logo, which genuine joint statements carry.

Then came a poll. A graphic branded as an Ipsos Kenya survey of governor races was posted on Facebook on 26 August 2026, and PesaCheck reported on 22 September that James Gakuya (Embakasi North) had shared it on his verified page. Ipsos told PesaCheck: "Ipsos has not conducted any poll and has no plans of doing the same. Please disregard this as fake."

The third was a quote. A graphic had Uhuru Kenyatta, the retired President, saying he had "installed" Fred Matiang'i as Jubilee Party leader. Africa Check reported on 21 September 2026 that the quote was made up; no media outlet or official account had carried it. The real handover took place on 22 September.

Doctored audio and video are a bigger version of the same problem. Read deepfakes on Kenya's 2027 ballot.

The first two hours

1. Make sure it really is fake. Check with whoever is supposed to have signed it, because denying what turns out to be a genuine leak is worse than saying nothing.
2. Screenshot every post with the account name, the time and the link, and save the file itself. You will need the evidence later.
3. Post a one-line denial on your verified channels, with your logo, the date and where the real information lives. ODM's "treat this as fake news" did all of that.
4. Send the denial to your ward coordinators and WhatsApp group admins before anyone else, so they can correct it in the groups where it is spreading. See why WhatsApp groups are not a field operation.

The first two days

Point to the evidence: the missing logo, the wrong letterhead, the office that does not exist, the pollster that never ran the poll. A specific flaw travels further than a flat denial.

Take it to a fact-checker. PesaCheck and Africa Check both covered Kenyan political fakes in September 2026, and a ruling from them carries weight your own denial cannot.

Report the post to the platform through its misinformation or impersonation tool.

And think about the law. Publishing false information is an offence under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, and a fake that stirs up ethnic hatred is a matter for the NCIC. If the harm is serious, take your evidence file to the DCI. See how to report an election offence.

What not to do

• Do not print the false claim in large type. Lead with what is true.
• Do not accuse a named rival of making it unless you can prove it.
• Do not answer a fake with one of your own.
• Do not share any poll you cannot trace back to the pollster. The Ipsos graphic shows how easily a candidate ends up spreading one.

Prepare before it happens

Pick one person who can approve a denial at any hour, and keep a template ready. Publish your official channels now, so supporters know where to check. The formal campaign opens on 29 May 2027, and fakes tend to multiply as polling day gets closer.