Kenya: No Evidence BBC Reported That Kenyan Police Used 'Poisonous Gas' Against Anti-Government Protesters - Viral Graphic Fabricated

23 July 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

IN SHORT: A graphic doing the rounds on social media in Kenya appears to show the BBC reporting that Kenyan police used toxic gas against protesters. But there is no evidence that the news agency reported this.

A graphic doing the rounds on Facebook shows what appears to be a screenshot of a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report on protests in Kenya.

The graphic features the BBC logo and shows pink smoke billowing in front of a building.

The text at the bottom of the graphic reads: "BREAKING NEWS. KENYAN POLICE USE POISONOUS GASES AGAINST FAIRLY PEACEFUL PROTESTORS."

Users who posted it have accused the Kenyan government of poisoning its citizens.

One user said: "The BBC is now reporting that the police are using poisonous gases on peaceful protesters in Kenya. Doesn't this raise a lot of questions? When goons invaded the streets and started looting and destroying properties, the police watched from a distance but when peaceful protesters go to the streets with flags and whistles, they are poisoned?"

The protests, largely led by young people in Kenya, began on 18 June 2024 and were sparked by the unpopular finance bill, which included controversial tax hike proposals.

The protests continued even after president William Ruto withdrew the bill, sacked almost his entire cabinet and called for a national dialogue.

The graphic began circulating on 16 July, when anti-government protesters took to the streets to demand Ruto's resignation and reforms to address poor governance.

The protests also saw police use a pink gas to disperse the gatherings.

But did the BBC report that Kenyan police used "poisonous gas" to disperse protesters? We checked.

No evidence

Africa Check scoured the BBC's social media accounts, including its Facebook page BBC News Africa and its X (formerly Twitter) account BBC News Africa, and found no such report. These accounts have actively reported on protests in Kenya. We also found no evidence of the broadcast on the BBC's YouTube channel.

We noticed that the "breaking news" format on the graphic was different from the one normally used by the BBC.

A reverse image search of the photo revealed that it was first published by the Kenyan news site Citizen Digital on 16 June. The news site republished it a day later, crediting it to its photographers.

The BBC logo and the "poisonous gas" text have been superimposed on the photo of the pink smoke.

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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