Kenya Elections Hate Speech/Misinformation Prevention

Code for Africa (CfA) is spearheading the Mapema Coalition in Kenya that has partnered with the United Nations to fight hate speech/incitement and mis/disinformation (especially where related to gender) related Kenya’s 2022 elections.

This campaign involves Wikipedia In Residence (WiR) fellowships deployed by CfA to help fight hate speech/incitement and mis/disinformation in the 2022 Kenyan general elections.

The Kenyan WiR fellowships will focus on mobilising the regional Wikipedian editor/contributor community to monitor and detect misleading or toxic content on Wikipedia (including Wikidata and other Wiki platforms) relating to the 2022 Kenyan elections.

The project is informed by research that suggests that while English/French-language Wikipedia entries for African content are adequately peer-reviewed, entries in African indigenous languages are riddled with misleading/unsubstantiated information. Hence, the Fellows will help CfA and the Mapema Coalition detect and correct any poor quality or potentially planted disinformation relating to the elections or Kenya’s democratic processes on Wikipedia.

These activties will include:

A systematic review/audit of current Kenya elections/democracy related content already on Wikipedia across all languages, to detect and correct issues.

The upload of pertinent new information relating to the Kenya elections/democracy, with a special focus on capturing debunks/clarifications/corrections on persistent misinformation by credible fact-checking organisations such as CfA’s PesaCheck and its partners, or explanations of coordinated disinformation and hate speech/incitement exposed by forensic researchers such as CfA’s iLAB team.

Report:

This report presents an analysis of three Wikipedia articles related to Kenyan elections and democracy in May 2023: "Murang'a County," "Raila Odinga," and "Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission." The purpose of this analysis is to examine the increased popularity, visibility, and readability of these articles, as well as fact-checking/debunking their potential misinformation on social media platforms.

Key Findings:

Misinformation Potential: The articles contain references/citations to Pesachecks, highlighting their role in addressing potential misinformation on social media platforms.
Median Pageviews: The median pageviews of the analyzed articles during the period of September 2022 to May 2023 was 3,225. This indicates that half of the pages received more than 3,225 views.
Monthly Average Pageviews: The monthly average pageviews across the analyzed articles during the same period was 3,539. This suggests that, on average, these articles collectively received approximately 3,539 pageviews per month.

Conclusion:

The analysed Wikipedia articles have demonstrated a notable level of engagement, with a substantial number of pageviews. The inclusion of references/citations to Pesachecks highlights a proactive approach in combating potential misinformation surrounding the Kenyan elections/demecracy. Understanding the popularity and potential impact of these articles is crucial for ensuring accurate information dissemination in the digital space.

For more information, see list of fact-checked and debunked articles.

Partners

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