Former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta didn't advise opposition politicians to unite to unseat president William Ruto in 2027
IN SHORT: This video shows Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta supposedly advising opposition politicians Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka and Fred Matiang'i to unite against president William Ruto. However, it has been manipulated.
A video of Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta apparently advising opposition politicians to unite in order to defeat president William Ruto in the 2027 election is circulating on social media.
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In the video, Kenyatta can be heard saying: "Rigathi Gachagua, please unite with Fred Matiang'i and Kalonzo Musyoka, and that's the only way you can defeat Kasongo in the 2027 elections."
The video is overlaid with the text "PLEASE UNITE" above a transcription of what Kenyatta is supposedly saying. It features the logo of NTV Kenya, a private TV station, implying that the news outlet published it.
The video has accumulated over 693,000 views on Facebook and appears to have originated on TikTok, where it has been viewed more than 269,000 times.
"Kasongo" is one of several nicknames used by Ruto's critics to ridicule him.
Kenyatta served as president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022, with Ruto as his deputy. The two later fell out, and Kenyatta backed opposition leader Raila Odinga's presidential bid. But Ruto won. It remains unclear whether Kenyatta and Ruto have since mended their differences.
Rigathi Gachagua served as Kenya's deputy president from 2022 until his impeachment in October 2024 following a fallout with Ruto. The president and his allies accused Gachagua of corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining the government.
Kalonzo Musyoka is the leader of the Wiper Democratic Movement party. He has announced his intention to run for president in 2027.
Fred Matiang'i served in Kenyatta's cabinet from 2013 to 2022 and has been endorsed by the Jubilee Party, led by Kenyatta, to run for president in the upcoming polls.
The two politicians are among those mobilised by Gachagua in a bid to unseat Ruto in 2027.
But has Kenyatta actually urged these leaders to unite against Kenya's president? We checked.
Video altered
Africa Check traced the video to the TikTok account @jamaljoel01. The account has posted the same video multiple times, each edited to show Kenyatta speaking on different political topics. This is the first clue that the circulating video may have been manipulated.
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Above the video's comments section on TikTok, there is the label "Creator labelled as AI-generated". Artificial intelligence (AI) tools use computer algorithms to perform tasks typically done by humans, such as answering questions, writing code and creating images or videos. TikTok requires users to disclose AI-generated content to provide context for viewers, hence the label.
Another obvious sign that the video is not original is the mismatch between the audio and Kenyatta's lip movements, which strongly supports the conclusion that the voice may have been generated using AI tools.
We conducted a reverse image search using a screenshot from the video and located the original footage. It was published on 29 January 2025 by NTV Kenya. In the video, Kenyatta was urging African leaders to manage their resources responsibly after US president Donald Trump froze international aid and funding.
The video showing him asking the opposition to unite is misleading. It combines old footage with AI-generated audio to falsely claim that he urged them to come together.
