Kenya: Wiper Party Leader Musyoka Said He'd Stop Attending Opposition Azimio Coalition Rallies? No, Graphic Not By NTV Kenya

31 January 2023
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Julian Kamau

IN SHORT: Broadcaster NTV Kenya didn't produce the widely shared graphic that falsely quotes Kalonzo Musyoka, the leader of the Wiper party, as saying he "won't attend any Azimio rally henceforth".

A graphic circulating on social media in January 2023 attributes a surprising quote to Kalonzo Musyoka, a prominent opposition leader in Kenya.

"Enough is said, enough is done, I won't attend any Azimio rally henceforth. Am senior council and I know what is good for the Kenyans," the quote reads.

The graphic includes a photo of Musyoka and the logo of NTV Kenya, a privately owned TV channel that broadcasts across the country.

Musyoka is the leader of the Wiper Democratic Movement, one of the parties in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition. The coalition fronted Raila Odinga as its presidential candidate in the August 2022 general elections.

Odinga lost to now-president William Ruto. And despite Odinga's claims of electoral fraud, the highest court upheld Ruto's victory. At the time, Odinga said he respected the ruling, even though he disagreed with it. He's now saying he doesn't recognise Ruto as president.

The graphic has been posted on several social media platforms.

And it's been popular - getting 2,900 likes and 700 comments - on the Facebook page of Boni Khalwale, where it was posted on 27 January 2023. Khalwale is the senator for the western Kenyan county of Kakamega and a Ruto ally.

The Azimio coalition has recently held rallies to challenge Ruto's involvement in the reconstitution of Kenya's elections commission. And after a report by a supposed whistleblower, it has resumed its claim of election fraud.

Musyoka is one of Azimio's most prominent leaders. If he actually said this, it would signal a major split in the coalition. The reference to "senior council" is likely a reference to his status as senior counsel - a lead attorney.

But is the quote accurate?

Musyoka at recent Azimio rally

The first clue that the graphic is nonsense is its poor grammar - common in fake content. The quote uses "Am", instead of "I'm", and "senior council" instead of "senior counsel".

We checked Musyoka's social media pages and those of NTV Kenya. Musyoka's page has retweeted a tweet stating that the graphic is "fake news".

The graphic has also been posted on NTV Kenya's Facebook page - stamped "FAKE". The post warns: "If it's not on our official social media pages, it's fake."

And, despite the fake quote, Musyoka attended the most recent Azimio rally, held in Kenya's capital of Nairobi on 29 January.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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