Kenya: Phantom Poll Ranks Kenya's Former Deputy President Gachagua As Leading Opposition Figure

18 August 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

Phantom poll ranks Kenya's former deputy president Gachagua as leading opposition figure

IN SHORT: A graphic attributes a poll to Infotrak, claiming that Rigathi Gachagua is the most popular figure in Kenya's opposition. However, we did not find any publicly available evidence of such a poll.

A graphic circulating on social media appears to show the results of an Infotrak opinion poll in which Kenyans have been asked: "Which opposition will you vote for if elections are held today?"

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According to the graphic, Rigathi Gachagua received 36% of the vote, followed by Fred Matiang'i with 30%, David Maraga with 22% and Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka with 7%. But 5% of respondents were undecided.

Gachagua was impeached as deputy president in October 2024. In May 2025, he unveiled his new political outfit, the Democracy for Citizens Party.

Matiang'i was a prominent figure in previous administrations, including as the interior minister until 2022. He is eyeing the presidency in the 2027 elections.

Maraga is the former chief justice of Kenya, known for annulling the controversial 2017 presidential election due to irregularities. He is presenting himself as a reformist outsider and is also considering running for president.

Musyoka is a veteran politician and a former vice president. He leads the opposition Wiper Democratic Movement party.

Infotrak is a Kenyan research and consulting firm known for its political opinion polls, market research and social surveys. The company is based in Nairobi and has become a key player in tracking voter preferences and government performance in Kenya.

The graphic appears here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)

But is it legitimate? We checked.

Fake poll

Infotrak's polls are usually published on its website, Facebook and X accounts. However, a thorough search of these platforms revealed no poll matching the one circulating online.

Instead, the most recent publication by Infotrak is a report on a solar cooling pilot project for dairy farmers. This report focuses on improving milk preservation through clean energy solutions and is not connected to voter intention polls or political preferences.

The absence of such a newsworthy poll on Infotrak's official channels calls into question the authenticity of the circulating graphic.

The firm's surveys are also often widely reported by reputable news outlets. But we found no media coverage of the poll in question.

This graphic was also published here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

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. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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