A purported letter alleging that the United States had imposed a travel ban on Kenya's Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has been confirmed as fake by the US Embassy.
The fabricated document, dated December 1, 2024, falsely claimed to restrict the two officials from traveling to the US indefinitely.
It was widely circulated on social media through prominent figures like Ndegwa Njiru but contained several red flags, including typos, inconsistent fonts, and formatting errors.
The US Embassy in Nairobi swiftly debunked the letter, clarifying that it did not originate from any US government entity.
"These letters are fake. Creating or distributing false government documents is illegal in both Kenya and the United States,” stated embassy spokesman James Hagengruber to local news site.
The document featured the seal of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and a forged signature attributed to USCIS Director Mendoza Jaddou.
The embassy also tweeted on their official social media platforms confirming that the document was fake.
The letter accused the officials of facilitating bribes and awarding tenders to the Adani Group Limited, claiming that these alleged actions triggered the purported travel ban.
It also contained numerous grammatical errors, such as “ande-visa,” further undermining its authenticity.
There has been a recent surge in misinformation online not just in Uganda but in the region at large. You are advised to be alert and double-check any information you find online.