A gossip website, udakumoto, reports that Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua committed suicide after being “dumped” by his wife, Lilian Ng’ang’a. According to the article, the governor died while being rushed to Aga Khan Hospital after overdosing himself with medicine.
In the undated but recently published article, the website reports that Mr Mutua called 999 at around 4am requesting urgent medical assistance at his residential home in Westlands. The paramedic who responded to the distress call found the governor lying on the floor in critical condition with different medications beside him, the writer says.
“A suicide note left behind and which has since flooded social media feeds indicated that the Machakos governor Alfred Mutua committed suicide because he failed to rescue his marriage with ex-wife Lilian Ng’ang’a,” it reports.
A fact-check by Business Today, however, finds this article to be FAKE with most of its content fabricated for click-baiting. Mr Alfred Mutua and his wife, Lilian Ng’ang’a, officially announced the end of their marriage on 15th August 2021 after about five years in the relationship.
In a statement, Mr Mutua said the separation took place eight weeks before the official announcement, adding they still remain friends in spite of everything. They did not, however, disclose the reason behind their separation.
Also, there are no news reports – in the mainstream media or social media – of Mr Mutua’s death. It is also noted that udakumoto website has a trend of fabricating articles about prominent personalities to bait unsuspecting readers.
Meanwhile, Mr Alfred Mutua is evidently alive and executing his duties as governor of Machakos County and actively involved in his personal activities. On 22nd August, Mutua celebrated his 51st birthday and even invited his estranged wife among other guests who included ODM leader Raila Odinga. He remains active on social media as well.
VERDICT: A report by udakumoto that Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua committed suicide by overdosing himself with drugs has been debunked and is thus FAKE news.
[This story was produced by Business Today in partnership with Code for Africa’s iLAB data journalism programme, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie ]
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