Kenya: 'Nation' Graphic Allegedly of Big Senate Battle in 2027 Kenya Elections Is Fake

13 May 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

'Nation' graphic allegedly of big senate battle in 2027 Kenya elections is fake

IN SHORT: Allegedly published by Kenyan news site the Nation, the graphic punts a bitter 2027 election rivalry between Paul Chirchir, a member of the Kericho county assembly, and Aaron Cheruiyot, the county's senator.

"Meet Paul Chirchir, the man giving the Senate Majority Leader Hon Aaron Cheruiyot sleepless nights in the 2027 Kericho Senatorial race," reads the text on a graphic supposedly published by the Nation, a major Kenyan news site.

Kericho county is about 240 kilometres away from Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Paul Chirchir is a member of the county assembly. He represents Kapsoit ward.

Aaron Cheruiyot is the county's senator and also the majority leader in the Kenyan senate. He took office in 2016 after winning a by-election to replace Charles Keter, who was appointed energy minister by former president Uhuru Kenyatta.

Cheruiyot has been re-elected to the senate twice. Local news outlets in Kericho and its surroundings have hinted at a rivalry between Kirui and Cheruiyot in the past.

Cheruiyot has made no public announcement about his intention to contest Kericho county's senatorial seat again in 2027. Unlike governors, senators in Kenya can be re-elected for more than two terms.

According to media reports, Cheruiyot, who has served two terms, is now eyeing the governorship. He would challenge governor Erick Mutai, who is seeking re-election.

The graphic suggests that if Cheruiyot were to seek the senate seat again, he would face competition from Chirchir. Dated 30 April 2024, it shows Cheruiyot's photo with the Nation logo in the top left-hand corner.

But did Nation really publish this graphic? We checked.

Fake graphic

We have not been able to find this information in any credible news outlet.

The text on the graphic has irregular spacing between words, an unusual error for a reputable news outlet like the Nation.

In addition, the date on an authentic card is usually in a different font and does not capitalise the month, unlike on the graphic in question.

On 30 April, the Nation dismissed the graphic as "FAKE".

"FAKE NEWS ALERT! Please be advised that this card doing rounds on social media is fake. #FakeNewsAlert," the news agency wrote.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
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