How fake news almost destroyed two Kenyan tribes

Share:

Listens: 0

The Debrief

News & Politics


Rumours made two tribes go to war in rural Kenya, until they learned the facts. In August of 2012, two major tribes in Kenya’s Tana River District took part in some of the worst ethnic clashes in the country’s history. The Orma, nomadic cattle-herders, and their farming neighbours, the Pokomo, have a history of fighting over water and grazing rights, but this time it was different. Fake news and rumours incited the tribes to attack each other viciously, leaving 118 people dead and 13,500 displaced. How did this happen and what stopped it? On the show: Al Jazeera producer, Priyanka Tilve, traveled to Kenya’s Tana River County to see how the tribes are coping. It includes a local, innovative solution in the fight against fake news. Our host is Mohsin Ali. Follow them on Twitter: @ptilve and @mohsin