Lanet Umoja location chief Francis Kariuki, popularly known as the tweeting chief, is dead, his son has announced.
He died at a Nakuru hospital.
Kariuki received worldwide acclaim from 2012 for suing Twitter as his tool for fighting crime earning near-celebrity status with mentions in all major media houses in the world.
Chief Kariuki led a community of 28,000 residents and while his Twitter account shows he has about 400 followers – or people who get his tweets online – the chief said those who receive his tweets via text message are in the thousands.
“They just don’t register as followers because they don’t have Twitter accounts,” he said. “A lot of people in town get the text tweets, even the thieves and police.”
The chief’s use of social media allowed him to reach everyone at the same time, and residents say the effort is paying off.
“He has really helped us know what’s going on around us. Now we know to expect a message from the chief any time, so we don’t turn off our phones at night,” said Jane Wangari, who lives in the town.
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In addition to rallying the community, the chief also used social media to share doses of encouragement and send out alerts about missing animals.
“There’s a donkey that’s been tied under a tree for days, we don’t know its owner, help please,” he tweeted after a message about a missing sheep that was later found.
