Kenya's state broadcaster KBC debunks fake graphic claiming senator accused powerful minister of bribery
IN SHORT: The graphic circulating online attributed an inflammatory claim to Kirinyaga county senator John Muhia Methu. But the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has disowned it, saying it was fake.
A graphic circulating on social media attributes a quote to John Muhia Methu, the senator for Nyandarua county in Kenya.
In the quote, he seemingly accuses the minister for transport Kipchumba Murkomen of bribing senators to block the impeachment of Kericho governor Eric Mutai, while supporting the impeachment of deputy president Rigathi Gachagua.
Murkomen is an ally of president William Ruto. The president has since fallen out with his deputy, leading to the impeachment trial Gachangua faces.
The quote reads: "I have seen my senior, CS Murkomen running up and down trying to bribe the senators to oppose the removal from office by impeachment of the Kericho Governor while on the other hand he is fully supporting the impeachment of the Deputy President. If this isn't high-class tribalism, then what is it?"
The graphic incorporates the logo and branding of the national broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation's (KBC) digital presence.
Nyandarua is in central Kenya and 180 kilometres from Nairobi, the capital. Kericho county, in the Rift Valley region, is 240 kilometres from the capital.
The two regions are often characterised by ethnic loyalties, which may explain the sensitive nature of the quote attributed to Methu.
Kericho governor impeachment
Kericho governor Mutai survived impeachment after the Kenyan senate acquitted him on 14 October.
Gachagua, who is from Methu's ethnic community, appeared before the same senate on 16 and 17 October, hoping not to be impeached on 11 charges, including corruption, abuse of office and gross misconduct.
For Gachagua's impeachment to be confirmed, at least two-thirds of the senate must vote in favour of his removal.
In the graphic, Methu's alleged comments suggest that Murkomen tried to bribe senators to acquit Mutai because they are from the same Kalenjin ethnic community, but supports Gachagua's removal because the deputy president is from a different community - the Kikuyu.
Methu apparently argues that this inconsistency reflects a double standard rooted in tribal loyalty rather than legal or ethical standards.
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This graphic has also been published here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of the report.)
But did KBC really publish it? We checked.
Ignore fake graphic
Typically, graphics on KBC's digital platforms have text underneath an area that fades into white, a feature absent in the graphic in question.
The graphic contains a double space between the words "from" and "office", which is an error that is unlikely to occur in professionally produced KBC media.
A thorough search of KBC's digital platforms, and in particular of its Facebook account, did not turn up the graphic.
Instead, the state broadcaster explicitly labelled the circulating graphic as fake: "The image below circulating online is fake!"
This graphic has also been posted here, here, here and here.
