Kenya Airways has condemned former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko for spreading false information about a plane crash in what appears to have been an April Fool's Day joke.
In an update on Tuesday, April 1, the airline, through its official X account, called out Sonko for irresponsibly sharing misleading details about aviation safety.
Earlier today, Sonko posted on X, writing, "A Kenya Airways plane has crashed."
In a swift response, the national carrier dismissed the claim made by Sonko and urged the former governor to take it down.
"This is not funny! Spreading false information about aviation safety is irresponsible! Kindly take it down," Kenya Airways said.
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While some of Sonko's followers defended the post as a harmless prank, many criticized him for joking about sensitive matters.
"Thank you Kenya Airways. I was infuriated by that post. People are retarded out here. Making jokes for clout. And from an influential person of his caliber. Disgusting!" a user identified as Julius Mbuvi said.
Another user, David Macharia, opined, "Only those who had loved ones, friends, or colleagues flying today know how harrowing that tweet was to them."
In April 2024, one of the media houses in Kenya faced legal action from Nigerian singer Davido following an April Fools' Day prank that falsely alleged his arrest for drug possession.
The now-deleted article claimed that Davido was detained in Kenya after cocaine was discovered on his private jet.
This fabrication led to widespread misinformation and prompted a strong response from Davido and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Davido said he had received numerous calls due to the false report, noting that he has never been arrested in any country and deemed the allegations irresponsible.
"I find the fabrication of allegations such as international crimes extremely irresponsible regardless of the light of ‘April Fools. I successfully completed my scheduled shows in Uganda and Kenya and have since returned home to Nigeria.
“I’d also like to note that I have never been arrested by anyone in any country for any crime in the world. Not my home Nigeria, my home America, or any of the hundreds of countries I’ve made home throughout my career," he said at the time.
On the other hand, DCI condemned the prank, labeling the report as "fake news."
