Citizen TV journalists among notable names to lose their Twitter verification badges

At last, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has made good his threat (if we can still call it that) to de-verify any and everyone on the social networking platform who is yet to pay their dues in order to maintain their badge - a blue tick which normally appears at the end of the user's name.

When the announcement was first made, a lot of news corporations and other notable figures, including CNN's Larry Madowo, vowed not to obey the Musk stipulations that required users to pay for Twitter's new paid service, Twitter Blue, which includes a fee of $8 (Sh1,060) for the coveted verification badge.

Now, after an announcement from Twitter, which reiterated that, beginning Thursday it was going to remove legacy verified checkmarks, Musk has made good his promise and badges have now started falling off left, right and centre.

Larry Madowo, a popular Twitter figure, has now revealed that his checkmark has disappeared.

"My ‘legacy verified’ checkmark is gone. Still not paying. This was fun!" he tweeted.

Reacting to the tweet, Victor Otengo, a news editor at a top local publication, said, "Mine is gone too!"

Besides Madowo, whose 'de-verification' we all saw coming, other notable journalists from Royal Media Services (RMS) have also had their badges axed.

Senior news anchors Yvonne Okwara, Trevor Ombija and Waihiga Mwaura said goodbye to their blue badges.

Journalists Ferdinand Omondi and Roncliffe Odit, as well as sports journalist Eric Njiru have also lost their badges as well.

"Can’t pay, won’t pay for Twitter blue! Verification lost it’s meaning if anyone can get it!" Eric Njeru defiantly tweeted.

The controversial purge, which has created a scene of ugliness, chaos and rebellion on Twitter, has seen hundreds of notable names, celebrities, journalists and global stars refuse to yield to Musk's demands.

My “legacy verified” checkmark is gone.

Still not paying. This was fun pic.twitter.com/Gwhg2v2jKX

The era of the legacy verified account is gone. A new dawn beckons...stormy seas ahead🫡😅— Waihiga Mwaura 🇰🇪 (@WaihigaMwaura) April 20, 2023