Kenya: Ignore Fake Graphic Claiming Politician Simba Arati Criticised Opposition Party Leader Raila Odinga

20 May 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Tess Wandia

Ignore fake graphic claiming politician Simba Arati criticised opposition party leader Raila Odinga

IN SHORT: A graphic circulating on social media in Kenya claims Simba Arati, the governor of Kisii county and member of the Orange Democratic Movement, criticised party leader Raila Odinga. But the graphic is fake.

A graphic circulating on social media attributes a controversial quote to Simba Arati, the governor of Kisii county in southwestern Kenya.

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The quote reads: "I did not betray Raila. The same way Oburu cant abandon him is the same way I can't abandon my brother Matiang'i. Otherwise Raila did not make me governor and he has betrayed Kisiis for long starting from Nyachae time. He has even never given us any seat in broad based."

The graphic, dated 2 May 2025, features the logo of a Facebook account called Channel 7 News, which claims to be a source of "Entertainment & Politics".

The Kisiis are an ethnic group found mainly in western Kenya.

Raila Odinga is the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Kenya's main opposition party. Arati is the party's deputy leader.

The graphic started circulating shortly after Fred Matiang'i, a former cabinet secretary, declared his intention to run for president in the 2027 elections.

Matiang'i and Simeon Nyachae, a former powerful cabinet minister who died in 2021, are both from the Kisii community

In a surprising move, Arati publicly endorsed Matiang'i's presidential aspirations and joined Matiang'i in Kisii town during his tour.

Arati's actions signalled a potential rift in the ODM, given that Odinga had previously announced that the party would field a candidate to face president William Ruto in the 2027 polls, despite being part of a "broad-based government" with the ruling party.

The graphic was also found here and here. But is it legitimate? We checked.

Graphic is fake

We found several news reports on Arati endorsing Mating'i, but none on Arati making the statement attributed to him in the graphic. If he had made such a statement, it would've also made headlines.

The graphic also features grammatical and spelling errors, a sign that the quote may have been made up.

On 3 May 2025, Arati posted the graphic on his official X account, with the word "fake" printed across it.

When reading news on social media, it's important to be cautious and always verify the information with credible news sources.

The graphic 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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