Photo Illustration by Ezinne Osueke / THE REPUBLIC. Source Ref: PEXELS, PIXABAY.
THE MINISTRY OF GENDER X SEXUALITY
Right-Wing Misinformation Is Invading Kenya, Here’s Why We Need to Stop It
Photo Illustration by Ezinne Osueke / THE REPUBLIC. Source Ref: PEXELS, PIXABAY.
THE MINISTRY OF GENDER X SEXUALITY
Right-Wing Misinformation Is Invading Kenya, Here’s Why We Need to Stop It
What do the global rise of right-wing populism, a political movement that blends nationalist and socially conservative rhetoric to mobilize mass support, and the growing influence of manosphere figures in Kenya—a loose online network promoting male supremacy, anti-feminism and opposition to gender justice—have in common? As it turns out, quite a lot. At their core, both movements are driven by a reactionary response to changing social dynamics. They are both fuelled by a shared belief that ‘traditional gender roles’ are under threat and a desire to restore patriarchal structures. They frame their opposition to gender progressivism as grievances against the perceived domination of women and feminism. This intersection reveals a dangerous ideological shift that is reshaping political and cultural landscapes globally.
Contrary to the often-presented views that digital spaces are ‘democratic’ or ‘inherently progressive’ by virtue of the connections and innovations they enable across space and time, digital spaces are shaped by, and sometimes even worsen, the inequalities we face ‘offline’. Feminist research shows technology-facilitated abuse has become both prevalent and pernicious. In Kenya, structurally silenced communities such as queer individuals, women and sex workers face disproportionate harm through tech-facilitated misinformation and disinformation.
A growing body of research shows how social media algorithms often prioritize engagement and revenue over user safety, amplifying and incentivizing harmful misogynistic, anti-gender, trans- and homophobic messaging online. This trend is directly linked to the worrying rise of right-wing populism—a political movement that exploits economic and cultural anxieties by positioning itself as the voice of the ‘ordinary people’, while pushing nationalist and socially conservative agendas—and fascist politics in the West. These ideologies—with fascism being an authoritarian approach that promotes extreme nationalism, suppresses opposition, and seeks to control society through force, propaganda and political violence—have found a receptive audience in the global South. The enduring legacy of colonization and western dominance in African politics means that the rise of right-wing populist movements in the United States and Europe has a significant impact on the continent’s affairs.
In his 2024 re-election campaign as president of the United States, Donald Trump pushed anti-gender messaging that resonates with conservative figures in Africa who advocate for patriarchal values and view feminism, gender progressivism and queer rights as a threat to ‘African family values’, contributing to the spread of misinformation on women’s reproductive agency and queer rights.
Notoriously, misogynistic figures like Andrew Tate have gained significant global traction online through their problematic views on masculinity, spreading gendered disinformation and constantly targeting structurally silenced populations such as women and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer persons (LGBTQ+). These manosphere individuals, once relegated to the fringes of the internet, have now become mainstream. They have substantial influence on public discourse around gender, sexuality and societal dynamics.
Right-wing manosphere ‘influencer’ and author of masculinity self-help book Unplugged Alpha, Richard Cooper, has contributed significantly to the worldwide spread of such rhetoric. Cooper’s work, much like that of other manosphere personalities, often portrays women as being deceitful and manipulative, framing contemporary gender dynamics as some sort of competition in which men are unfairly treated. Cooper’s book, widely sold by vendors across Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, advocates for a masculinity in which men must assert supremacy over women and (western) society to reclaim their rightful power. One of the controversial quotes in his book states, ‘Fraud, by definition, requires deceit, something women are highly evolved at.’
This statement encapsulates a fundamental tenet of Cooper’s ideology, which argues that women are inherently manipulative, deceptive and primarily motivated by self-interest. Cooper’s claim that women are inherently deceitful is dangerous disinformation as it reduces complex human behaviour to a simplistic, negative stereotype. As research shows, harmful manosphere content has found receptive audiences in the global South. Manosphere messaging has been enabled by social media platforms which incentivize the dissemination of harmful content by prioritizing engagement and revenue over all other considerations.
CLOSER TO HOME
Jacob Aliet, a Kenyan masculinity coach and influencer, has adopted these ideas in his own work, regurgitating the same disinformation by framing Kenyan women in similarly negative terms. Cooper’s and Aliet’s views reinforce the broader narrative that men are being defrauded by women, portraying women as the architects of their own victimhood. Aliet has shared Cooper’s quotes on his social media platforms and incorporated them into his broader discussions of gender dynamics. He has been known to share these arguments amid and despite rising cases of femicide in Kenya. According to Africa Data Hub, 2024 was the ‘worst year on record’ with 170 compiled cases.
Kenyan online personality, Amerix, has also amassed a huge following online by spreading dangerous disinformation about women. For example, he has linked women’s piercings and tattoos to sexual immorality and has expressed extreme homophobic views equating LGBTQ individuals to ‘wicked lunatics’. Such rhetoric perpetuates harmful stereotypes and emboldens violent ideologies such as homophobia, transphobia and gender-based violence that carry real-world consequences.
An example of the real-life impact of gendered disinformation is the tragic story of Ivy Wangechi. Wangechi, an aspiring doctor, was brutally murdered on 9 April 2019 by Naftali Kinuthia. Kinuthia claimed to be Wangechi’s lover—a claim vehemently denied by her family. Kinuthia’s Facebook history indicated he had been influenced by misogynistic beliefs propagated online. The vile, posthumous online attacks on Wangechi spread a narrative that labelled her a ‘gold digger’ who ‘deserved to die’, reflecting a horrifying intersection of online disinformation and tech-facilitated gender-based violence. This toxic combination poses a grave threat to women and other structurally silenced demographics everywhere.
Gendered misinformation in Kenya is sustained by positioning women as hindrances to men’s social mobility. Kenyans are currently experiencing political instability, state violence and economic precarity, which have led to widespread frustration and disillusionment. Young men feel disenfranchised and are more vulnerable to harmful messaging that scapegoats women as the cause of their economic anxieties.
According to a study conducted by the Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi Women’s Economic Empowerment Hub and supported by the United Nations Population Fund, 90 per cent of young adults enrolled in Nairobi’s tertiary institutions have witnessed technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Of these, 39 per cent have experienced it personally.
Female students are disproportionately affected, with 64.4 per cent reporting at least one form of online violence compared to 35.5 per cent of male students. These students are often the primary targets of online defamation, non-consensual intimate image dissemination and gendered misinformation, all of which have profound psychological, social and economic effects.
Online gendered misinformation tactics are not just the domain of manosphere influencers—politicians have also strategically weaponized them to manipulate public sentiment and maintain power. Kenya’s current president, William Ruto, used religious rhetoric to gain political power and consolidate his base. His rise to power was largely fuelled by his appeal to Kenya’s evangelical Christian churches, a bloc that holds significant influence over the country’s social and political landscape. His engagement with conservative churches also enabled him to tap into a deeply rooted moral conservatism regarding issues like gender roles and sexual orientation.
This pattern was evident during the anti-tax protests in Kenya, where pro-government propagandists deployed digital disinformation to undermine the movement. According to Piga Firimbi, the fact-checking arm of Africa Uncensored, on 8 July 2024, at the height of the demonstrations, a topic began trending on X (formerly known as Twitter), quickly rising to the top and sparking controversy. The hashtag #GayZ, a play on Gen Z—the generation now associated with widespread anti-government demonstrations that initially started with calls to withdraw the 2024 Finance Bill—appeared alongside ‘LGBTQ Kanairo’ and ‘Right2Kiss’, amassing over 15,000 posts.
These posts, linked to prominent online government propagandists who have worked with President Ruto for years, included fabricated digital cards from various newsrooms suggesting that the Gen Z protests were focused on advancing an LGBTQIA+ agenda rather than opposing the finance bill. Many of the posts featured AI-generated images depicting same-sex interactions, with pro-LGBTQ imagery, including the rainbow flag, prominently displayed. The intention was to cause moral panic in conservative Kenya and scapegoat queer communities, continuing a decade-long anti-queer campaign by President Ruto.
These churches align with western conservative Christian movements like CitizenGo. This right-wing, Catholic advocacy group has pushed a series of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-gender equality campaigns in Kenya, often aligning with conservative evangelical networks. Leveraging these networks has allowed CitizenGo to influence public opinion and advocate for policies that oppose gender and reproductive rights, positioning itself as a formidable force in shaping Kenya’s socio-political landscape.
CitizenGo’s activities are not isolated. The group has worked to rally opposition to progressive gender reforms, using the same tactics seen in other regions such as the United States and Europe where conservative religious groups have successfully politicized gender and sexuality issues.
In a landmark development, the recognition of intersex individuals as a third gender in Kenya has been formally included in the newly gazetted sample of birth notification certificates issued at birth. This change, detailed in Legal Notice 153 of 2025, marks a significant step toward greater inclusivity for intersex people. However, this move has sparked backlash and fuelled the spread of gendered misinformation online regarding intersex people in Kenya, especially given its timing—just weeks after President Ruto reiterated President Trump’s stance of only acknowledging two genders.
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UNDERSTANDING GENDERED MISINFORMATION
A study by the Wilson Centre’s Science and Technology Innovation Programme suggests that gendered and sexualized misinformation is a distinct phenomenon and subset of online gendered abuse. It employs false or misleading gender and sex-based narratives against women, often with some level of coordination, intended to discourage women from engaging in the public sphere.
In addition to propagating harmful information, continuities of misinformation in digital spaces often result in self-censorship. ‘This is a harm-reduction effort,’ Bri Adhiambo, a vocal gender justice activist explains during a convening of digital rights activists in December 2024. ‘As a highly visible person on social media, I often get attacked online for my stances. False, harmful information about me and my loved ones has been spread online many times before. Sometimes it gets so bad that I am forced to deactivate for my well-being,’ Adhiambo adds.
One of the ways gendered misinformation is spread is by blurring the lines between factual reporting and opinions positioned as news. In Kenya, stories often use rhetorical devices or ‘expert’ quotes that make the misinformation sound plausible, even though it lacks empirical evidence or objectivity. For instance, a leading digital newspaper in Kenya published an article claiming that young women in Kenya use abortion to achieve a ‘glow’, a narrative that first emerged as online misinformation weeks before its publication. Such material appears credible to readers who often confuse opinion with fact and lack the digital literacy skills that could make misinformation less harmful. Journalist Yvonne Gachau explains to me that:
One way to counter gendered disinformation is to encourage people to ask critical questions about where the news is coming from, who is reporting it, and whether the story aligns with other reputable news outlets. People need to critically evaluate sources of information, identify biases, and verify facts before believing or sharing them.
Gachau adds that, with rapidly evolving technology, synthetic media—artificially created digital media—is already being used to spread gendered misinformation online. There is a need for digital fact-checking tools to address certain narratives.
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FRAMING FEMINIST RESISTANCE: STRATEGIES FOR NAVIGATING HOSTILE SPACES
Tech companies appear to be aligning with conservative ideologies, as shown by Meta’s removal of fact-checkers from Facebook, which leaves vulnerable users exposed to gendered misinformation.
Safe online spaces for marginalized communities are essential in providing sanctuaries where individuals can engage in discussions without fear of violence, and since mainstream platforms have become increasingly violent, digital migrations are becoming almost inevitable.
Feminists in the digital space have to constantly confront deeply ingrained misinformation rooted in conservative beliefs and cultural practices. These problems demand contextualization and human intervention not just automatic systems. Since Meta has made it clear they would not address this, it could be time to move on.
In response to this overwhelming opposition, feminists in Kenya and elsewhere can consider transitioning to platforms that allow some form of independence and allow communities to self-govern such as the Association for Women in Development social platform, which brings together feminist and queer activists and requires prospective members to be vetted by the community. We could reimagine the internet as a public good that is communally owned and bring our communities to these alternative platforms along in the process.
Communities can start engaging with open-source technologies, embrace anonymity and pseudonymity, and explore the many ways they can reclaim freedom in their digital identities. This can present valuable opportunities to reimagine their relationship with the ‘digital public’, reexamine strategies for knowledge-building and develop plans to gradually divest from capitalist-controlled platforms that incentivize hate and profit from gendered misinformation.
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It is important to acknowledge that our communities are deeply connected to these platforms, and as such, transitions may be painful and gradual. During this time, staying present and focusing on building resilient communities by engaging thoughtfully and strategically could mitigate harm. As Ololade Faniyi notes in the article ‘A Queer Dream of New and Unassimilable Things’:
The dream of ‘new things’ is not about finding perfect spaces elsewhere—digital or otherwise— for unrestricted expression; such spaces do not exist. Instead, it is about recognizing and building upon the strategies queer communities already employ to create meaning and connection within constrained circumstances.
Reclaiming the history of African feminisms and queer movements is another crucial aspect of resistance. Intentionally seeking and amplifying African feminist scholarship on gender can challenge the narrative that gender justice is a western imposition. There is a wealth of online resources that allow us to continue and build upon the intellectual legacy of African feminist scholarship.
Finally, our personal stories help humanize the abstract arguments surrounding gendered misinformation and show us the tangible impacts of harmful rhetoric. Confronting these narratives with truth and lived experiences remains crucial in the fight for justice⎈
Maureen Kasuku has produced this article as part of The Full Picture Campaign by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Our Voices, Our Futures (OVOF), which aims to address the pervasive issues of mis/disinformation, particularly its harmful effects on marginalized women, queer, and trans persons globally.