Open in app Sign up Sign in Write Sign up Sign in ![\\"\\"](\\" # FALSE: A Kenyan granted asylum in the U.K did not kill 400 people ## The article quotes a story that originally appeared in the Daily Mail in May 2013 and was retracted four months later due to inaccuracies ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" PesaCheck · Follow Published in PesaCheck · 4 min read · Mar 19, 2019 \-- Listen Share ![\\"\\"](\\" An article published on nation.com.pk claiming that John Thuo, a Kenyan who was granted asylum in the UK killed up to 400 people using a machete is FALSE. ![\\"\\"](\\" The article quotes a story that originally appeared in the Daily Mail in May 2013 and retracted in July of the same year because of disseminating inaccurate and defamatory information. The article partly reads: “John Thuo, 27, who butchered many of his victims in machete attacks in his native Kenya, has spent a decade living here in rent-free accommodation provided by the National Asylum Support Service. He is believed to receive an allowance of up to £160 a month from the service, the Home Office unit responsible for asylum seekers’ housing. Thuo, who was a member of the outlawed Mungiki sect in Kenya, admitted at an immigration tribunal that he killed ‘about 100 to 400 people’. He also took part in female genital mutilation.” Thuo, through his solicitors, complained to the UK’s Press Complaints Commission about the article which he considered to have reported as fact his claims that he had committed serious crimes in Kenya, when these claims had been rejected by both the Home Office and Immigration Tribunal during his successful appeal against deportation. The complaint was resolved and corrections published in the Daily Mail’s print and online platforms. ![\\"\\"](\\" PesaCheck has looked into the claim that a Kenyan asylum in the UK killed up to 400 people using a machete and finds it to be FALSE. This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as _potential misinformation_ on Facebook and other social media platforms. By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds. Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content. ![\\"\\"](\\" This fact-check was written by PesaCheck researcher _James Okong’o_, was edited by PesaCheck Content Editor _Ann Ngengere_ and was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor _Eric Mugendi_. ![\\"\\"](\\" PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by _Catherine Gicheru_ and _Justin Arenstein_, and is being incubated by the continent’s largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator: _Code for Africa_. It seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world, with a special emphasis on pronouncements about public finances that shape government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water / sanitation. _PesaCheck_also tests the accuracy of media reportage. To find out more about the project, visit _pesacheck.org_ _._ ![\\"\\"](\\" Follow Us ![\\"\\"](\\" Like Us ![\\"\\"](\\" Email Us PesaCheck is a joint initiative of _Code for Africa_, through its _innovateAFRICA fund_, with additional funding support from the _International Budget Partnership (Kenya)_ and _Twaweza_, in partnership with a coalition of local media organisations, and the _International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)_. ![](\\" ## Sign up to discover human stories that deepen your understanding of the world. ## Free Distraction-free reading. No ads. Organize your knowledge with lists and highlights. Tell your story. Find your audience. Sign up for free ## Membership Read member-only stories Support writers you read most Earn money for your writing Listen to audio narrations Read offline with the Medium app Try for $5/month Kenya UK Fake News Misinformation Verification \-- \-- ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" ![\\"PesaCheck\\"](\\" Follow ## Written by PesaCheck 5.8K Followers ·Editor for PesaCheck Are they lying? Kenya’s 1st fact-checking initiative verifies statements by public figures. A @Code4Kenya and @IBP_Kenya initiative, supported by @Code4Africa. Follow Help Status About Careers Press Blog Privacy Terms Text to speech Teams
Kenyan UK assylum killed up to 400 people