Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      World Bank set to back South Africa’s big energy grid roll-out

      20 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » World » Social media pointing to Kenya election upset

    Social media pointing to Kenya election upset

    By Staff Reporter8 August 2017
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    The South African firm that accurately predicted Britain’s exit from the European Union and Donald Trump’s victory in the US by analysing what users were saying on social media now believes that Raila Odinga is poised for an upset victory in the Kenyan general election, currently underway.

    “Similar to our Brexit and US elections research, we are predicting an outcome different to the polls: an Odinga victory,” BrandsEye said on Tuesday.

    “We tracked 440 000 online mentions and processed these for sentiment toward or against the main candidates. Much like the US elections, this has been an election that has seen significant discourse online, fuelled by fake news and claims of propaganda. As such, the Kenyan public’s social conversation is an important source of political insight.”

    Raila Odinga

    In the week leading up to the election (1 to 6 August), BrandsEye analysed 443 000 mentions from 173 000 Kenyans discussing the election. According to the data, incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta is at risk of losing the presidency.

    “The traditional polls have consistently put Kenyatta ahead of Odinga, but according to the opinions expressed by the public online, the majority want an Odinga victory. This is strikingly similar to what we saw with Brexit and the US elections,” said BrandsEye CEO JP Kloppers.

    Social media opinions have traditionally been very difficult to analyse in aggregate due to the scale and complexity of the conversations, Kloppers said. The scale challenge can be solved using artificial intelligence, but this approach leads to inaccurate data, as machines struggle to understand the nuances of human conversation. BrandsEye solves this by complementing the AI with trained crowds: large teams of local language speakers who review and verify the data.

    “In the case of the Kenyan election, our crowd was made up of Swahili speakers who understood the local dialects and social context,” Kloppers said.

    The data shows that the 2017 Kenyan presidential race is a two-horse contest between Kenyatta and long-time political rival Odinga. These candidates have 53% and 43% of the total election conversation respectively, BrandsEye said.

    While Kenyatta and Odinga show similar levels of support online, Kenyatta has almost double the amount of negativity compared to Odinga.

    Odinga enjoys significantly less negative sentiment, but there is a concern that he is too old to lead the country. One of the central tenets of his campaign is that he will lead Kenyans to the promised land of Canaan, a phrase that has been picked up and echoed by his supporters online. In turn, this has been met with some derision, with detractors saying he does not have the track record to justify his claims.

    Odinga appears to have mobilised online support in the last days leading up to the election. His conversation volume and share of online unique authors exceeds that of Kenyatta. “This, together with strong positive sentiment towards the candidate, suggests a surprise win,” BrandsEye said.  — (c) 2017 NewsCentral Media



    BrandsEye Donald Trump JP Kloppers Raila Odinga top Uhuru Kenyatta
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleNetflix in first-ever acquisition
    Next Article Interview: HMD Global on the future of Nokia phones

    Related Posts

    Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

    17 June 2025

    Coal to cash: South Africa gets major boost for energy shift

    13 June 2025

    10 red flags for Apple investors

    13 June 2025
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.