Kenya's Star Newspaper Didn't Report Governor Gladys Wanga As Potential Deputy President

14 August 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

Kenya's Star newspaper didn't report governor Gladys Wanga as potential deputy president

IN SHORT: Ignore social media posts claiming that the governor of Kenya's Homa Bay county Gladys Wanga could become the country's first female deputy president. Wanga has denied this, and the supposed newspaper column used as evidence is fake.

A screenshot of what appears to be a popular newspaper column is making the rounds on Facebook. It claims that if Kenya's deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is impeached, a female governor from Nyanza, possibly the governor of Homa Bay, could replace him.

The claim appears in the printed edition of Corridors of Power, a popular political gossip column in Kenya's Star newspaper.

The rumour is notably accompanied by a photo of the governor of Homa Bay, Gladys Wanga. The county is about 400 kilometres from Nairobi, Kenya's capital.

It reads: "HIGHLY PLACED SOURCES have intimated that a woman governor from Nyanza could be made Deputy President if Rigathi Gachagua is impeached. State emissaries have been frequently seen trooping the governor's Homabay home.

"The governor's security has also been enhanced and now boasts of 3 chase cars and 7 GSU G company guards based in her Homabay and Nairobi homes. If she ascends to the Deputy President's position she will be Kenya's first woman Deputy President."

GSU refers to the General Service Unit, a unit of highly trained Kenyan police officers.

A prominent member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, Wanga is a major figure in Kenyan politics. Members of the ODM have recently been appointed to the government, lending credibility to the claim.

The claim came amid talk of Gachagua's possible impeachment on charges including gross violation of the constitution and misconduct. Some MPs have also accused him of undermining the presidency and fuelling anti-government protests.

Gachagua has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, baseless and an attempt to destabilise the government.

The screenshot also appears here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

But was this political gossip really published in the Star's Corridors of Power?

Ignore fake column

A search of the Star's website for a similar story found no such headline.

On 2 August 2024, Wanga posted the column on her official X account, stamped "FAKE".

"False information spreads like wildfire, fueled by deceitful propaganda!" Wanga wrote.

Kenyan media have also reported that Gachagua has been given a lifeline by president William Ruto.

The false claim also appears 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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