Kenya: No, Kenyan President Ruto Did Not Say He'd Impeach His Deputy in a Week

18 October 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Wanjiru Kamau

No, Kenyan president Ruto did not say he'd impeach his deputy in a week

IN SHORT: According to a Facebook video, Kenyan president William Ruto told his deputy Rigathi Gachagua that he had a week before he was impeached. But the audio doesn't match Ruto's voice, suggesting it's been doctored.

A video posted on Facebook shows Kenyan president William Ruto seemingly addressing the nation from the State House in the capital, Nairobi.

The video is captioned: "President Ruto: Am giving gachagua only 1 week."

In the clip, a voice that appears to be Ruto's says: "I am giving Gachagua only one week then he will be on the road to Murima jobless. Only one week. I don't want to work with him anymore. I am tired of this guy. He thinks he is the boss here and he is below me."

Rigathi Gachagua is Ruto's deputy.

"Murima" means mountain in the Kikuyu language, one of the main languages spoken in the Mount Kenya region. The region is one of the larger voting blocs in Kenya. It largely supported the Ruto-Gachagua ticket in the 2022 general elections.

Gachagua hails from the Mount Kenya region and has been widely associated with using the word "murima" to refer to and champion the region's interests. He's been criticised for this, with some arguing that as deputy president, he should champion national rather than regional interests.

But Gachagua says he is working for unity.

An impeachment motion against Gachagua was brought to the national assembly on 1 October 2024, and passed on 8 October with 281 MPs voting in favour, 44 against, and one abstention. The motion was then sent to the senate, where a full-house hearing is scheduled for 16 and 17 October.

But did Ruto make those comments about his deputy? We checked.

Red flags indicate use of manipulated audio

The language in the video is an early red flag as it is unprofessional for a presidential speech. For example, the president wouldn't use phrases such as "murima jobless" and "I am tired of this guy. He thinks he is the boss".

While the audio in the video slightly resembles Ruto's voice, it is clear that it is not his voice. Ruto's lip movements in the video also do not match the audio. This suggests that the audio may have been altered using some form of voice cloning technology with low accuracy, as it is easily detectable by the ear.

Presidential addresses are usually broadcast on various media stations and can often be found on channels, social media pages, or websites associated with the presidency.

Moreover, given the public interest in Gachagua's impeachment, such a speech by Ruto would have been widely reported and analysed by the media.

But there is no official government or media record of such a statement by Ruto.

The video clearly combines a genuine video clip of Ruto's presidential speech with manipulated audio to create a misleading narrative.

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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