IN SHORT: Several social media posts claim that people seen in a video, apparently "eating in the bush", are Kenyan members of parliament. But that's not true: the video was taken in Tanzania after a funeral.
A video has been posted on Facebook with the claim it shows Kenyan lawmakers eating "in the bush". In the video, a group of smartly dressed people, mostly men, are eating a meal while sitting in between what look like banana palms and other plants.
Part of the post, dated 7 July 2024, reads: "Kenyan parliamentarians, after running for their lives ended up eating in the bush Nigerian youths ooooo. This will be benediction for Nigerian APC government, parliamentarians, low and high ministers, Ambassadors, ect ect."
Similar posts can be found here, here, here and here.
Anti-government protests in Kenya and Nigeria
Kenya has seen a series of protests since 18 June, largely led by young people. They were sparked by the unpopular finance bill, which included controversial tax hike proposals. At one point legislators fled after parliament was breached by the protestors.
The protests continued even after president William Ruto withdrew the bill and fired almost his entire cabinet. The protests have since shifted to demanding Ruto's resignation and an end to corruption.
On 1 August, Nigerians began nationwide protests against economic hardship. Their grievances include the removal of the fuel subsidy and the high cost of basic commodities.
In a televised speech on 4 August, president Bola Tinubu called for an end to the protests and reassured Nigerians that the economy was recovering.
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Despite the appeal, the protests - widely called "10 days of rage" - continued.
The video's caption appears to be a warning to Nigerian MPs. But does it show Kenyan legislators eating in the bush after "running for their lives"? We checked.
Video from Tanzania
A Google reverse image search of a keyframe from the video revealed that it first appeared online on 1 June.
According to Google Translate, the video's caption is in Kiswahili and translates to: "Yesterday we participated in the Last Service of Elder Francis Koka (104), Father of Mr Koka, member of parliament for Kibaha in the city. This ceremony was held in Mkolowonyi Marangu Village. Mzee Francis has finished his journey here on Earth at the age of 104. We are truly grateful to God for the gift of a long life to Mzee Francis. Who even in his old age was still sane. May God rest the soul of his servant in the right place Amen."
We searched for Kibaha and Marangu on Google Maps and found that both are places in Tanzania.
We visited the Tanzanian parliament website and searched for a member named "Koka". We found Silvestry Koka, who represents the Kibaha Mjini constituency.
The claim that the video shows Kenyan MPs eating "in the bush" after running for their lives is false.
