Digital strategist and blogger Dennis Itumbi has vehemently denied claims that Jubilee Party acquired the services of controversial British data-mining company, Cambridge Analytica in the 2013 and 2017 polls.
According to leaked documents from the disgraced lobby group, the now defunct The National Alliance (TNA) which was led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, hired the services of Cambridge Analytica which included developing a manifesto, a PR and media strategy.
However, Itumbi, who was at the heart of Jubilee campaigns, has dismissed the reports as 'fake', saying the firm did not play any role in the governing party's march to State House.
He disclosed the branding of TNA was not done by the British firm, but by a team led by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, and later by him after Sakaja was appointed the party's chairman.
"Fake News! Cambridge Analytica Did not: 1. Participate in the presidential campaigns. 2. TNA branding was done by a team initially headed by Johnson Sakaja and later after he went to the party I took over. 3. Wrote our Manifesto? Fake! 4. Political rallies? How? Uwongo Tupu!(Pure lies!)," Itumbi tweeted on Sunday.
According to documents seen by the Standard, Cambridge Analytica was reportedly behind the launching of TNA's 'I believe' campaign slogan, and also conducted a research which helped in shaping perceptions that Uhuru's win in 2013 was inevitable.
“Average interview was 45 minutes. Ten different groups were identified based on their support (or potential to support) Kenyatta; insights were used to produce messaging to appeal to target groups. Issue hierarchies and propensity to change vote scores were produced for each group. Influencers, reward structures and motivations for each group were also identified,” reads a section of a confidential document by the company to TNA.