Nairobi, Aug. 26 -- Kenya is one year away from the next General Election, and the political conversation is already taking shape. New political formations are being launched, alliances are being tested and leaders are positioning themselves for the contest ahead. But beneath the speeches and declarations is another contest that will matter: the contest over what Kenyans believe to be true.

That contest is taking place in a very different information environment from previous elections. The Media Council of Kenya's 2024 State of the Media Report found that social media had become the primary source of news for 33 percent of Kenyans, ahead of television at 31 percent and radio at 26 percent.

Yet social media was trusted less for news tha...