A Civic Tech Research Lab Confronting Digital Threats to Democracies in the Global South.
Kampala-Nairobi-Washington DC
Joined July 2023
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The most revealing “AI” case in Zambia’s 2026 election wasn’t AI. A politician called a real video of himself a deepfake, then admitted it was genuine. Our new investigation into fake tallies, recycled footage and the liar’s dividend 👇
thraets.org/zambias-ai-alibi…
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I facilitated a training on Gender-Sensitive Reporting on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), organised by Targeted Rights Initiative and Thraets.
The training, which brought together student journalists, media professionals, and communicators.
US networks project Democrats have won the House and Senate.
A new Congress doesn’t settle the bill Africa has paid since 2024: aid cuts, tariffs, travel bans.
First test: AGOA expires 31 Dec, before the new Congress is sworn in.
Our ledger 👇 thraets.org/an-election-for-…
Yesterday was the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. In 2024, a Kenyan court ruled Arshad Sharif's killing in Kajiado unlawful. We know of no prosecution since. One of 30 cases in our Nairobi Corridor investigation:
nairobi-corridor.thraets.org
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Language shapes how #TFGBV is experienced, recognised and addressed.
Join us for Episode 1 of the TFGBV Regional Learning Series: Language Used in TFGBV / Lexicon and Its Importance moderated by @nyamwire.
You will leave with:
→ A clearer sense of how TFGBV shows up in local languages and cultural contexts
→ An understanding of why slang, coded language and humour make abuse hard to spot
→ Insight into how lexicons can strengthen research, survivor support, platform accountability and policy
🗓️ Wednesday, November 4th, 2026
⏰ 3:00 to 4:30 PM EAT
📍Zoom: bit.ly/TFGBVLearning
One year since Tanzania's election. About five days without internet. A death toll a government commission put at 518, and the opposition says was far higher. And, as our Nairobi Corridor found, a reach that already extended to critics in Nairobi.
nairobi-corridor.thraets.org…
Congratulations to our Research Assistant
@KibwotaWelborn on completing @DFRLab #DigitalSherlocks programme 🎉 Three months of open-source investigation training, now going straight into our work on elections and Kenya’s digital state.
Before you block someone who's harassing you online, save the evidence. Screenshot with the date, time and sender visible. Copy the link. Back up voice notes and files. Write down what happened. Then decide whether to block or report. thraets.org/behind-the-scree…
Day One of our training in TFGBV with @TargetedRights at UNIMAC in Accra. Student Researchers and journalists are learning to document and report on online abuse safely.
Ebola has reached Kenya and Nigeria via travellers from eastern DRC who passed through Uganda. Uganda has no active cases but still faces US entry restrictions. Kenya, with nine cases, got an advisory. The map of fear still ignores the map of the virus:
thraets.org/ebola-and-the-ca…
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#ICYMI: Our September newsletter is out!
Our new report, The Cost of Candidacy, tracked 100,000+ posts from Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire’s 2025 elections and listened to 36 women leaders and human rights defenders.
Inside, you’ll also find our Annual Report 2025, two new networks born at #DataTamashaAfrica26 in Zanzibar, and stories from #FIFAfrica26 in Mauritius, Fort Portal and the African Union #InnoFest in Ethiopia.
Read it: mailchi.mp/pollicy/the-cost-…
The June 2025 DRC–Rwanda deal called for Rwandan withdrawal and action against the FDLR. Neither has happened. We don't claim the covert network caused that outcome, but its framing is recognisable in the deal's architecture.
the-war-btw.thraets.org/
In 2024, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was taken from his residence in Nairobi and handed to Uganda, where he was charged before a military court. Nearly 2 years later, he is still detained.
In late July, he collapsed in court and was admitted to intensive care. His family continues to report serious health concerns. Kenya has faced no accountability for its part in his removal.
His case is one of 30 in The Nairobi Corridor, and it shows what happens after a rendition: the story doesn't end at the border.
nairobi-corridor.thraets.org…
Three weeks of hearings on Uganda's digital number plates, and plenty of claims are circulating. Here's what's confirmed, what's disputed and what's still unverified. thraets.org/surveillance-or-…
Cohort 2 of the Thraets and @CenterForOsint OSINT training is a wrap!
Fully online, with 15+ participants from 🇰🇪🇳🇬🇲🇼🇪🇹🇹🇿🇸🇴🇸🇸🇿🇼 building skills to investigate and verify information online.
Thank you all, and see you in Cohort 3! 👀
#OSINT #Verification
Uganda's digital number plates: Parliament found the plate isn't the tracker. A separate SIM-connected device inside the vehicle is. Were motorists told what they were paying for? Who can see the data?
thraets.org/surveillance-or-…
Online abuse often comes from people survivors know, on apps they trust, and almost none of it gets reported. Our new #TFGBV report with @TargetedRights draws on 46 participants, most of them women and most in Ghana. 🧵
Only 4 of the 38 participants who experienced abuse reported it. Some were laughed at or disbelieved. Others said: 'I didn't know where and how to report.'
Read the report here: thraets.org/wp-content/uploa…
