KTN investigative journalist Mohammed Ali has rubbished chatter doing the rounds on social media that Cheryl Kitonga – the lady who was said to be the last person seen with slain businessman Jacob Juma on the day he was brutally murdered – is dead.
Rumours were rife on social media Tuesday night that Cheryl Kitonga was killed at her home by unknown assassins.
The name Cheryl Kitonga trended at number six on Twitter, with online users confused and uncertain of the vicenarian’s state.
The reports of Ms Kitonga’s “death” first appeared on a Kenyan blog notorious for publishing false news about the death of famous or popular persons.
“Cheryl Kitonga is alive, ignore the rumours. It will take time for Kenyans to understand how the system works. Coming soon!” wrote Mohammed Ali on Twitter Wednesday morning.
In May 23, 2016 Mohammed Ali ran an expose titled: Kaburi La Wazi which delved into a number of issues including chronological movement of Jacob Juma on the day he was killed – May 5.
What stood out and sparked social media discourse is how Mohammed Ali revealed the identity of Cheryl Kitonga – the mysterious lady who was in the company of Jacob Juma at his apartment in Westlands, Brookside Drive.
Right away, Ms Kitonga became an object of ridicule on social media with Kenyans on Twitter calling her a “gold digger”.
Photos of the young woman were circulated online, and within moments her name shot to the top of social media trends.
Due to the negative impact on Ms Kitonga’s reputation, media personality Caroline Mutoko called out Mohammed Ali over how he conducted his analysis of Jacob Juma’s death.
Caroline Mutoko argued Mohammed Ali’s expose concentrated too much on a non-issue. She contended that the story failed to unearth information that could help lead to the arrest of Jacob Juma’s assassins.
