Graphic claiming Kenyan president William Ruto has cancelled events in the central Kenya region due to in-fighting is fake
IN SHORT: Ahead of Kenyan president William Ruto's visit to the country's restless central region, a graphic claiming that he has been forced to cancel events after regional leaders fought over money is getting social media attention. But it is fake.
Kenyan president William Ruto has been forced to cancel events in the Mount Kenya region after its leaders fought over money ahead of his visit. This is according to a graphic circulating on Facebook.
"Ruto Cancels Some Mt. Kenya Events as UDA Leaders Fight over Kshs.10M Per Stop Mobilization Cash," the graphic's headline reads.
The United Democratic Alliance, or UDA, is Kenya's ruling political party.
The text of the graphic reads: "President Ruto has canceled several planned political activities in Mt Kenya, including the highly anticipated leaders' meeting at Sagana State Lodge. Sources reveal that leaders were fiercely competing for the Kshs. 10 million allocated per stop for mobilization, leading to disagreements. Additionally, fears of public heckling contributed to the decision."
The graphic features Nation Africa's logo, implying that the Kenyan news site published it.
Sagana State Lodge, located in Nyeri county in the Mount Kenya region, is a presidential residence, used by Kenya's presidents when on official tours of the region.
In a political context, the Mount Kenya region refers to the areas of central Kenya traditionally inhabited by the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru communities.
The graphic appeared while Ruto was preparing for a "development" tour of the region in April 2025. Visits described as development or "working" tours are widely seen as a strategy to build political support.
Restive region
Ruto is facing a growing rebellion in Mount Kenya, after the impeachment of former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, a Kikuyu from the region, in October 2024.
Gachagua had presented himself as the leader and defender of the Mount Kenya region. But Ruto and his allies accused him of dividing Kenyans on ethnic grounds, forming a basis for his impeachment. However, Gachagua's supporters have accused Ruto of betraying the region.
Because of its population size and the fact that Kenyans have long voted along ethnic lines, the region wields considerable electoral influence. In the 2022 elections, it overwhelmingly voted for Ruto, who had Gachagua as his running mate.
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After the two fell out, it's uncertain whether the region will still back Ruto in his 2027 re-election bid.
Those posting the graphic suggest that the crowds turning up to see Ruto in the region will have been paid to do so. Gachagua has also made a similar remark.
The graphic has been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
But is it legit? We checked.
Fabricated graphic
While the graphic has Nation Africa's logo, we noted that the text did not conform to Nation Africa's usual house style.
Almost all the words in the headline of the suspicious graphic start with capital letters. But genuine graphics capitalise only the first word and proper nouns in headlines.
Nation Africa often posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X. Africa Check searched the accounts for the graphic and came up empty.
On 28 March 2025, the news site posted a blurred version of the same graphic with the word "fake" printed on it.
"FAKE NEWS ALERT! Please be advised that this card doing rounds on social media is fake," it informed its readers.
The graphic in question is fake and should be ignored.
The fake graphic was also posted here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
