Africa-Press – Kenya. The Kilifi County Government has moved to quash claims purporting that the Mnarani Bridge has been damaged, following the heavy rains that are being experienced in the country.
The County Government dismissed images that have been circulating on social media, terming them as misleading and not reflecting the actual condition of the bridge, currently serving thousands of users daily.
In an official statement, the county said, “The images circulating on social media alleging damage to Mnarani Bridge are false and misleading,” urging the public to verify information before sharing widely online.
The image circulating on social media shows what looks like a bridge, in a state of disrepair. Large, deep cracks and exposed reinforcements are visible on the bridge’s supporting structure. The damage appears severe, which seems to raise significant safety concerns.
After the images went viral, concerns emerged on social media, with several online users flagging the bridge as unsafe to use.
The county government has since sent representatives to Mnarani Bridge on Monday to physically assess its condition, particularly the section where cracks were alleged to have occurred.
“A joint team, together with the County Security and Intelligence Committee, conducted a thorough inspection of the bridge. The assessment has confirmed that the bridge is intact, safe, and fully operational, with no such cracks as claimed,” stated Kilifi County.
Images obtained from their team show that the bridge is still intact, with no visible cracks.
A critical verification by Kenyans.co.ke fact-checking team showed that the image with the cracks is real, and not doctored. However, the geological locations of the image show that the image was taken in a different location, and not in Kilifi County.
Moreover, a closer look at the base of the two bridges shows clear differences: the bridge in the image with cracks has a narrow end base, while the actual Mnarani Bridge, shown in images shared by Kilifi County, does not. This confirms that the image depicting cracks is not of the Mnarani Bridge.
While the image circulating on social media is real and not doctored or manipulated by any artificial intelligence (AI) tools, it is not of Mnarani Bridge in Kilifi County but of a different bridge.
Kilifi County urged members of the public to disregard the false information and avoid sharing unverified content that may cause unnecessary panic, and also remains committed to ensuring the safety of all infrastructure and will continue to work closely with relevant authorities to monitor and safeguard public assets.
