Kenyan news outlet did not claim national assembly speaker couldn't be minister because of travel restrictions
IN SHORT: A graphic supposedly from Kenya's Nation Africa claims that national assembly speaker Moses Wetang'ula can't be appointed cabinet secretary because of travel restrictions. But the news outlet has branded it fake.
A graphic bearing the Nation Africa logo and designed as a breaking news alert from the Kenyan media house is circulating on social media.
The graphic, dated 25 October 2024, features a photo of Kenya's national assembly speaker, Moses Wetang'ula. It reads: "Ruto allies say Moses Wetangula's cabinet appointment impossible due to travel restrictions in European and Arab countries."
It has been posted on social media, including here and here, with over 16,000 views and lots of engagement.
The context
Wetang'ula's office played a central role in the impeachment of deputy president Rigathi Gachagua.
The national assembly unanimously approved the nomination of interior minister Kithure Kindiki to replace Gachagua, and the speaker gazetted this approval on 18 October.
Kindiki was sworn in as the new deputy president on 1 November.
The allegation began circulating days after speculation over who would replace Kindiki as interior minister. The claim suggests that Wetang'ula was under consideration but that travel restrictions against him complicated his appointment.
In 2019, Wetang'ula was linked to a fake gold scandal in which members of the United Arab Emirates royal family were defrauded. This likely explains the claim that Wetang'ula is facing travel restrictions from some Arab countries.
Although Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigation summoned him for questioning, he was never formally charged.
So is this claim accurate? We checked.
Graphic labelled fake by Nation Africa
There is no evidence of any publicly known travel restrictions against Wetang'ula. A keyword search found no reliable information to support this claim.
Wetang'ula was elected senator of Bungoma county in August 2022, but resigned to successfully seek the more powerful position of speaker of the national assembly.
As speaker, he already holds a senior position in the government. According to the constitution, the speaker is second in line to take over the presidency if both the presidency and the deputy presidency were to become vacant. In such a case, the speaker would become acting president until a new election is held within 60 days.
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Although the position of cabinet secretary may require more rigorous vetting, Wetangula's position as speaker challenges the claim that he cannot serve as cabinet secretary.
More importantly, Nation Africa's official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a blurred version of the graphic, clearly marking it as fake.
"FAKE NEWS ALERT! Please be advised that this card doing rounds on social media is fake," the media house wrote.
The claim that Nation Africa published the graphic claiming that Wetang'ula was facing travel restrictions affecting a potential cabinet appointment is false.
