Elsie Kibue, a Kenyan woman living in the United Kingdom, was left shocked after learning that her photo was circulating online in Uganda, claiming that she had died of Covid-19.
It was falsely claimed that the person on the photo (Elsie) was the fourth person to succumb to coronavirus in Uganda.
But Elsie was not aware of this until her husband received a WhatsApp message from a friend alerting him of the fake news.
The text read: “Hi Robert, isn’t this your wife? Somebody sent it to me and said that she is Ugandan. And I said no.”
In response, Robert said: “Who sent you that picture? I am sure that is my wife. If not, she has a twin sister in London we do not know of.”
Elsie, in a video uploaded by BBC, said she was taken aback after her husband showed her the text as they relaxed in bed.
“This is one person experiencing this. I cannot imagine other people who have experienced this, or probably do not even know this is happening to their identity, you know?”
“My picture was used for something that is not true. I am Kenyan; I am not Ugandan, I am alive and well, and I am in the United Kingdom.”
She said the photo used in Uganda was captured at Trafalgar Square when athletes were having a parade during the 2012 Olympic games in London.
“The last time I was in that part of the continent (East Africa) was in 2013. Sitting here knowing that I am alive and well, I do not care. But, having said that, I should care, actually, because it happened to me. It could easily happen to anyone of us.”
“The people doing this, can you stop and think about what you are putting out there because not only are you putting out false information but are also affecting the moods of people’s households while you are doing this. And it is not right at all.”
