The day after Lilian Ng’ang’a accused her former partner, Machakos county governor Alfred Mutua, of subjecting her to “psychological and economic gender-based violence”, what seemed to be the front page of Kenya’s Taifa Leo tabloid was posted on Facebook.
“NAOMBA UNITOMBE” the all-caps headline reads – Kiswahili for “please have sex with me”. The page is dated 5 November 2021, shows photos of Ng’ang’a and Mutua, and reports on pleas by Ng’ang’a to be left alone.
Taifa Leo is known for its bold headlines, but was the front page of its 5 November issue really this outrageous? We checked.
‘Please leave me alone’
We found the original 5 November front page on Taifa Leo’s verified Facebook page. The layout is the same, but the headline slightly different. It’s “NAOMBA UNIKOME!“, which loosely translates as “I beg you to leave me alone!”
The front page posted on Facebook has been doctored, with the headline’s second word altered to give it a very different meaning.
The tabloid posted the fake front page on its Facebook and Twitter accounts, stamped “FEKI”.
TAHADHARI: Kichwa hiki cha habari kinachoenezwa mitandaoni ni feki. Tunaomba ukipuuze. Tunajitahidi kukabiliana na usambazaji wa habari feki. Vinginevyo, endelea kufurahia uhondo wa habari, makala na taarifa za kuelimisha na kuburudisha za Taifa Leo. pic.twitter.com/s61EL1wAKd
— Taifa Leo (@Taifa_Leo) November 5, 2021
“TAHADHARI: Kichwa hiki cha habari kinachoenezwa mitandaoni ni feki,” it wrote. “Tunaomba ukipuuze. Tunajitahidi kukabiliana na usambazaji wa habari feki. Vinginevyo, endelea kufurahia uhondo wa habari, makala na taarifa za kuelimisha na kuburudisha za Taifa Leo.”
This translates as: “CAUTION: This headline circulating online is fake. Please ignore it. We are working hard to fight the circulation of false information. That said, we hope you continue enjoying the educative and entertaining news and features from Taifa Leo.”