No, Kenya's deputy president Rigathi Gachagua did not tell Kenyans to eat "kangumu" if they cannot afford bread. Ignore fake graphic
IN SHORT: A graphic circulating on social media and attributed to media house Kenyans.co.ke claims that deputy president Rigathi Gachagua told Kenyans to eat "kangumu" if they cannot afford bread. But the graphic is fake and should be ignored.
A graphic attributed to the news site Kenyans.co.ke is circulating on social media in Kenya.
It features a photo of Kenya's deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and reads: "Those who cannot afford bread should eat kangumu."
A "ngumu" - also "kangumu" - is a type of cake snack made by frying a dough mixture.
The graphic has been posted by several accounts on Facebook, all with the similar claim that Gachagua recommends eating a "ngumu" instead of the more expensive alternative of bread. Some of the captions include:
- Accept and move on... Hustlers woiyee.
- Kenya is our home, if the bread goes up by 10 bob as per proposed finance act...the D.P says kula Ngumu.
In May 2024, Kenya published its Finance Bill 2024. The bill includes a 25% excise tax on vegetable oils, which could lead to an increase in the price of food items such as bread. If the proposal is passed, Kenyans may have to eat more affordable breakfast foods such as "ngumu", as suggested in the circulating graphic.
The graphic attributed to the media house has also been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
But did the graphic come from Kenyans.co.ke? We checked.
Graphic is fake
We reached out to Kenyans.co.ke and they said the graphic was fake.
"This is fake," confirmed Brian Muuo, the head of social media.
Additionally, a closer look at the circulating graphic shows that the font used is different from the one used by the media house on the digital cards posted on its official Facebook page.
The circulating graphic is fake and should be ignored.
