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As Kenya’s Vote Nears, Fear That ‘Fake News’ May Fuel Real Bloodshed - The New York Times

posted onAugust 7, 2017
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Article snippet: ELDORET, Kenya — Fake news. Odd plot twists. Tit-for-tat accusations. One candidate calling another “crooked.” Those political phenomena, familiar to voters in the United States and Europe, have surfaced in Kenya ahead of a tightly contested presidential election on Tuesday. But in a country with a history of election violence, the addition of such toxic behavior has further fanned fears about whether the country can pull off a credible and peaceful vote. Two previous elections were marred by violence amid widespread claims that they had been rigged; in 2007, the disputed vote plunged Kenya into bloodshed that left at least 1,300 people dead and 600,000 displaced from their homes. Just in the past week, there was a break-in at the country estate of the vice president, which ended after an 18-hour siege. Then, a senior election official in charge of crucial voting technology was found dead. His body, disposed of in a forest outside Nairobi, the capital, showed signs of torture. In addition, the military confirmed the existence of a document that the opposition party claimed revealed plans to rig the vote in favor of President Uhuru Kenyatta. But the military then backtracked, saying that the document was being “quoted out of context” and that the military was “apolitical.” In the latest development, just two days before Election Day, the main opposition coalition, the National Super Alliance, accused Mr. Kenyatta of ordering an armed raid on one of its tallying ce... Link to the full article to read more

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