ABSTRACT
Recent trends across the globe point to a growing popularity, prominence, and prevalence of political disinformation during elections as a strategy to influence public opinion and political preferences. Through interviews with journalists, fact-checkers, social media influencers, and key campaign actors, as well as an analysis of key online campaigns, this study examines the architecture of the disinformation industry during the 2022 Kenyan elections. The chapter discusses the values disinformation generated for the sponsors, as well as the dynamics that compound its consequences in the political sphere. The study finds evidence of a well-organised, professionalised, hierarchical, and well-funded disinformation machinery during the August 2022 elections, characterised by coordinated messaging across platforms, professionally designed digital content, and an elaborate dissemination strategy. The perceived utility of disinformation has campaign actors leveraging digital platforms to manipulate public opinion as a campaign strategy to achieve political ends. The study concludes with concerns over the seeming acceptance and normalisation of disinformation despite the obvious ethical implications, as campaigns and states embrace and weaponise disinformation.
