Govt says DCI now investigating fake news, alarming videos on coronavirus

The Ministry of Health (MoH) says it has taken note of videos making rounds on Kenyan social media with fake information about coronavirus.

During a Press Conference, the Ministry said the videos have been forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for action.

At the same time, MoH warned Kenyans against spreading misinformation about the pandemic saying individuals found culpable will be arrested and prosecuted.

The only two channels permitted to give updates on the pandemic are; The Ministry of Health (@Moh_Kenya) and The Government Spokesperson (@SpokespersonGoK)

The latest comes after a Kenyan woman took to social media in a now viral video claiming to have been the woman quarantined at the Mbagathi Hospital.

In the video she discredited the reports of Kenya’s first case of COVID-19 and threatened to move to court.

On Friday, Kenya confirmed its first case of coronavirus from a 27-year-old woman who had just returned from the United States.

The patient is said to have flown from Ohio, U.S. where she is a student.

From Chicago, she flew to London and then to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 5, 2020.

Passengers that she sat next to her on her way home have also been traced by health officials.

Mutahi Kagwe expressed his gratitude to the patient for taking her own initiative to be examined after she began experiencing significant symptoms.

He further urged Kenyans not to panic but continue with normal day-to-day activities.

Symptoms of coronavirus are runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever and difficulty breathing in severe cases, according to the World Health Organization.