Kenya: Fabricated Graphic Used to Claim That Kenyan Senator Karen Nyamu Told President Ruto He Faces Bleak Future in 2027 Polls

27 March 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Fabricated graphic used to claim that Kenyan senator Karen Nyamu told president Ruto he faces bleak future in 2027 polls

IN SHORT: Many on social media suggest that Kenyan president William Ruto's allies will abandon him in the next elections. But this graphic appearing to quote a Kenyan senator saying Ruto has messed up his 2027 re-election chances is not authentic.

Kenyan senator Karen Nyamu has said that president William Ruto faces an uncertain future in the 2027 general elections. This is according to a graphic circulating on Facebook in the country.

"We can't keep on defending government and nobody is telling the President that he is naked. The next election will be a walk in the park. We are fucked up," the quote in the graphic reads.

It features an image of Nyamu and the branding of Tuko.co.ke, a popular Kenyan news website, implying that they published it.

Nyamu is a member of the United Democratic Alliance, a party led by president Ruto, and a senator.

The graphic implies that the president's allies are not telling him how discontented Kenyans are with the government's track record and that Ruto will, therefore, suffer in the 2027 elections.

Ruto's presidency has not been without challenges. In July 2024, young Kenyans took to the streets to protest against an unpopular 2024 Finance Bill, which included controversial tax hike proposals.

The protests were met with deadly police crackdowns and widespread abductions believed to be carried out by state agents and seemingly targeting young critics of Ruto's government.

Shortly afterwards Ruto fired almost his entire cabinet and included opposition members in his new cabinet. But the protesters still demanded better governance and Ruto's resignation, under the "Ruto Must Go" slogan.

His critics have accused him of making promises that end up unfulfilled.

The graphic has been posted here and here.

But is it legit? We checked.

Fake graphic

Africa Check noted that the graphic is below the quality usually produced by credible news sites in Kenya. It is blurred, uses obscene language and mispells the month of "Marcvvh", instead of "March". These are clear signs that the graphic is not legit.

We could not find any instance where credible media outlets in Kenya had reported the controversial quote.

Tuko.co.ke usually posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X. But we searched for the graphic and came up empty.

Tuko previously told us that if a graphic isn't posted on their verified social media platforms, then it is not from them.

The graphic is fake. It is not from Tuko.co.ke and there is no evidence that Nyamu made the remarks.

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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