By Alvin Mwangi
Nairobi, Kenya: In the recent past, Social media platforms have been used to spread misinformation on Reproductive health issues, in turn filling the public with a lot of myths, misconceptions, and false information. This in return influences their judgment and perception on some of these issues including Abortion, Sexuality Education as well as Sexual and Gender minority rights.
The use of influencers who are paid to derail and share extremely wrong information has been growing over the past few years. This is according to new research from the Mozilla Foundation indicating that influencers received between KSh1,000 and KSh1,500 to derail online debates over the Reproductive Healthcare Bill 2019, and the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill 2019 amongst others.
This report confirms that Kenya’s Twitter influencers will post anything without adequate knowledge on the issue, without thinking of the impact of their work on the general public, or how unjust the information is. Manipulating public conversations on Reproductive health and rights is a great offense as it goes against access and enjoyment of basic human rights to all.
“The Twitter campaigns appear to have inauthentically promoted anti-choice sentiment and attacked politicians and activists advocating for gender rights,” states the report.
“The report shows how quickly misinformation on public health issues spread and confirms that the anti-abortion movement in Kenya is fuelled by overseas organizations. These are dangerous tactics and only serve to harm women” Director, Ipas Africa Alliance mentioned.
It is alleged that CitizenGo, a Spain-based and registered organization has been misinforming the public using paid influencers on Twitter to spread misinformation. CitizenGo has widely shared contrary information of some of the key bills on reproductive health in Kenya with an aim to sway the public from accessing information, services that they are entitled to. Access to information and education on sexuality education amongst other reproductive health issues remains a right of every person.
Paid to troll the sponsor of the EAC SRH BILL 2021, citizen uses fear, intimidation, fear, petitions, and money to oppress women’s rights in East Africa.
The East African Sexual Reproductive Health bill 2021, provides for regional frameworks that aim to advance Sexual reproductive health & rights (SRHR) issues to all. If passed, the Bill would further advance issues around Sexual reproductive health & rights (SRHR) to all including, stopping the preventable death of girls & women in East Africa!
“The member states will be mandated to ensure investment and implementation of diverse programs that aim to reach out to the Adolescents and young people on various SRHR issues. Issues like Return to School for pregnant Adolescents will be actualized through the development of programs and policies that will be affected into the different states and implementation enforced” explains the bill.
According to the Research by Mozilla Foundation, they indicate that CitizenGO, which is reported to have links to far-right-wing groups sponsored and coordinated disinformation campaigns on Twitter that labeled the Reproductive health bill as the “Abortion Bill” In the recent CitizenGo campaigns they have also termed the East African SRH Bill 2021, as the “ EALA Abortion Bill”. The East African SRH Bill is very progressive and will advance issues of Reproductive health in the region if passed by the EALA parliament.
“The campaigns also made false and misleading claims around abortion, surrogacy, and other areas of reproductive health,” says the report. Twitter should continue to take down accounts, organizations & influencers who use their platforms to misinform the public on Reproductive Health issues In Kenya with an aim of importing hate! Exporting disinformation is utterly wrong! To distort the civic debate on social and health processes is even worse. Comprehensive sexuality education, Abortion, LGBTQ+ Rights has constantly been subjected to opposition, myths, and stereotypes around it which have led to a total misunderstanding of what it entails.
We demand that CitizenGo issue a public apology to Hon. Susan Kihika, Hon. Esther Passaris, Hon. Millie Mabona and Hon. Kennedy Mukulia for trolling them, for the large and wide interference to share propaganda on very progressive laws that these lawmakers have developed and spearheaded
Influencers paid to spread false information on critical issues within Reproductive health and rights among other social and health issues should be banned from Twitter.
Alvin Mwangi is a Youth Activist on Reproductive Health Issues. Twitter: @alvinmwangi254
