Kenya: Fake Newspaper Front Pages Criticise Kenyan President's Controversial Cabinet Appointments

7 August 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

IN SHORT: In July 2024, fake front pages of Kenyan newspapers attacked president William Ruto's new cabinet appointments. The legitimate headlines discussed the new political alliances that the selections had created.

Kenyan social media was abuzz on 25 July 2024 with what appeared to be the front pages of major newspapers. They expressed disappointment with president William Ruto's new cabinet appointments, claiming they were influenced by opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The headlines included:

  • The Star: "DANCING ON GRAVES Bondo conman raises a toast to corpses of the young & brave."
  • Daily Nation: "Raila's Judas Moment."
  • The Standard: "The devil wears Kaunda and Raila is his tailor."

Bondo in Siaya county is Odinga's rural home, 424.5 kilometres from the capital Nairobi. Odinga served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013 and has made several presidential bids, most recently in 2022, where he lost to Ruto.

These headlines were accompanied by photos of Ruto, Odinga and newly appointed cabinet secretaries, many of whom are Ruto's allies.

Following nationwide protests, Ruto sacked his entire cabinet on 11 July. On 19 July, he began forming a new "broad-based" cabinet, retaining six of his original 22 ministers and nominating five new faces for approval by the national assembly. On 24 July, he appointed a second set of cabinet secretaries, including Odinga allies.

Public reaction to these appointments was mixed. Many, especially the youth who protested against the 2024 Finance Bill, felt betrayed by the inclusion of opposition figures and saw it as a political manoeuvre that undermined their objectives.

These front pages have been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

But are these the legitimate front pages of Kenyan newspapers? We checked.

Fake front pages

There are a number of signs that the front pages circulating on social media are fake.

They had different fonts to those normally used by the Star, the Standard and Daily Nation.

The sharp tone of the newspapers in question also went beyond what would be professionally expected of such publications.

We searched the social media accounts of the three newspapers for the front pages of 25 July 2024. We found the legitimate front pages with the headlines:

  • The Standard: "Ruto hangs onto Raila for survival."
  • The Star: "Ruto, Raila new union to redefine 2027 race."
  • Daily Nation: "Enter Raila, the coalition 'king'."

The Star, the Standard and Daily Nation further flagged the circulating front pages as fake news:

  • The Star: "FAKE NEWS ALERT: This front page marked FAKE is not our original version."
  • Nation Africa: "Beware of fake news! If it's not on our official social media pages, it's fake."
  • The Standard Digital: "Please ignore the fake or manipulated front page cover of The Standard newspaper circulating online and in WhatsApp groups. Our correct headline is available in the print edition. Grab your copy from your nearest newsstand."

The fake front pages have also been posted here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

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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