Fake newspaper front page claims Kenyan aspiring MP Kariuki blames ex-deputy president Gachagua for losing election
IN SHORT: A front page designed to mimic Kenya's Standard newspaper claims that Newton Kariuki, runner-up in the Mbeere North parliamentary by-election, has blamed former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua for his loss. However, the front page is fake.
Kenyan politician Newton Kariuki, popularly known as Karish, blames former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua for his defeat in the Mbeere North parliamentary by-election. That's according to an image of what appears to be the front page of Kenya's Standard newspaper.
The front page, dated 3 December 2025, features photos of Gachagua and Kariuki. It carries the headline: "I Blame Gachagua."
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"Karish now says his narrow loss in Mbeere North was fueled by Rigathi Gachagua's divisive, tribal-style campaign tactics that alienated voters and weakened his support on the ground. Instead of helping, Gachagua's strategy turned the race into a regional war, pushing undecided voters toward the UDA candidate," its summary reads.
Mbeere North is a constituency in Embu county in central Kenya.
In the by-elections held on 27 November 2025, the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party candidate, Leo Wa Muthende Njeru, won with 15,802 votes. He defeated Kariuki of the Democratic Party (DP), who garnered 15,308 votes.
The UDA is led by president William Ruto, while the DP is led by Justin Muturi, who previously served as speaker of the national assembly, attorney general and cabinet secretary. Muturi was replaced as cabinet secretary in March 2025 after falling out with Ruto's government. He subsequently joined the opposition, becoming one of the politicians mobilising to unseat Ruto in the 2027 general election.
Gachagua was sworn in as the country's deputy president in 2022 and was impeached in October 2024 after falling out with Ruto. The president and his allies accused Gachagua of dividing Kenyans along ethnic lines, but he dismissed the claims as a political witch-hunt.
The Mbeere North by-election, along with others held across the country on the same day, was largely seen as a showdown between government and opposition forces.
The front page in question has been posted on several Facebook pages and groups.
But is it authentic? We checked.
Fabricated front page
Africa Check compared the circulating front page with a genuine one from the Standard newspaper and noted significant differences in font, suggesting the front page in question may be fake.
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Credible media outlets in Kenya extensively covered the elections and the candidates. However, we found no reliable reports of Kariuki making such remarks after the elections.
The Standard usually posts digital versions of its front pages on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X, as well as on its e-paper platform. We searched these accounts and the platform and found the authentic front page for 3 December 2025.
The genuine front page featured the headline: "Dreaded chiefs back." It highlighted concerns over alleged government plans to arm chiefs - government administrative officers at the grassroots level - who allegedly have a history of brutalising Kenyans.
The circulating front page is fake.
