Kenyan President Not Accused of Spending Ksh1.5bn to Impeach His Deputy - Viral Graphic Not From People Daily Newspaper

30 October 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Kenyan president not accused of spending KSh1.5bn to impeach his deputy - viral graphic not from People Daily newspaper

IN SHORT: A graphic with a claim that Kenyan president William Ruto spent up to KSh1.5 billion (US$11.5 million) to impeach his deputy is circulating on Facebook. But it is fake.

A graphic circulating on Facebook claims that Kenyan president William Ruto might have spent up to KSh1.5 billion to impeach deputy president Rigathi Gachagua.

"President Ruto Accused of Spending Ksh 1.5B on Deputy President's Impeachment Amid University Funding Crisis and Dialysis Patient Deaths," the graphic reads.

It shows the logo and branding of the People Daily newspaper, implying it was published by its online version.

The graphic has gone viral amid a fallout between Ruto and Gachagua. This led to Gachagua's dramatic impeachment. He faced several charges, including corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining Ruto's government. Gachagua insists he's innocent and is challenging his dismissal in court.

It also came at a time when Ruto's government started implementing a new funding model for university and college studies. The model faced resistance from some university students and parents, among other stakeholders. It is also being challenged in court.

The graphic also comes as the government is rolling out the Social Health Authority (SHA), which is replacing the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), a parastatal. The SHA, one of the major projects by Ruto's government, aims to provide affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare services to all Kenyans by pooling their contributions.

There are reports that the NHIF owes billions of Kenyan shillings to dialysis providers. According to local media, many dialysis providers refuse to join the SHA and instead demand that patients pay for services in cash until their outstanding payments are settled, putting patients' lives at risk.

But is the graphic legit? We checked.

Fake graphic

People Daily often posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Africa Check searched for the graphic on the accounts and came up empty.

We contacted Chrisphine Magak, head of digital editorial at Mediamax Network Limited, the media company that owns People Daily, and asked if the graphic was legit.

"It's fake," he told us.

On 28 October 2024, People Daily posted the circulating graphic on social media with the word "fake" printed in red.

"Fake News Alert: We would like to inform the public that the following publication is fake and did not originate from People Daily," it cautioned its readers.

The graphic in question is fake and should be ignored.

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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