Old photo falsely used to claim former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta met top opposition leaders to craft alliance ahead of 2027 elections
IN SHORT: The Kenyan political landscape is evolving rapidly, with political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections. However, a viral photo appearing to show former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta meeting top politicians for a possible political alliance is old and is being posted out of context.
On 9 October 2025, Kenyan president William Ruto met with Gideon Kipsielei Moi, the national chairperson of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party, at State House, Nairobi, the president's official residence.
After the meeting, Moi withdrew from the senatorial by-election in Baringo county, scheduled to take place on 27 November. The seat fell vacant following the death of senator William Cheptumo in February.
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Hours after the meeting, a photo showing former president and Jubilee Party leader Uhuru Kenyatta meeting with Moi and Wiper Patriotic Front party leader Kalonzo Musyoka went viral in Kenya.
Users who posted it claimed the three met to craft a possible political alliance.
"Political observers believe the trio could be laying the groundwork for a broader coalition or a new political formation as they weigh their next moves towards 2027," one caption reads, in part.
The photo also features in what appear to be news graphics.
The three are prominent figures in Kenyan politics. Kenyatta served as the country's president from 2013 to 2022, with Ruto as his deputy. The two later fell out and Kenyatta backed opposition leader Raila Odinga in the 2022 presidential election. However, Ruto won. It remains unclear whether Kenyatta and Ruto have since reconciled.
Musyoka served as Kenya's vice president from 2008 to 2013. He is from the Kamba community and is widely regarded as its kingpin. Musyoka is among the opposition politicians mobilising to unseat Ruto in the 2027 elections.
Gideon Moi is the son of former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi, who was the president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002 and died in 2020. He has served as a member of parliament and as a senator.
But does the photo actually show these three meeting on 10 October 2025? We checked.
Photo from 2022
A reverse image search revealed that the photo, along with others, was first published online by Musyoka on 19 March 2022.
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He captioned the photos, in part: "It was my absolute pleasure and joy to host my Brothers the President of the Republic of Kenya H.E Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and my fellow OKA Principal Baringo Senator Gideon Moi at my Nairobi residence yesterday evening."
We also found no reliable sources reporting that the three political leaders had met in 2025 to forge an alliance. No such update was posted on their official social media accounts, which they all frequently use.
The photo is old and the claim is misleading.
