Kenya: Viral Image of Kenya's Former Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha Seemingly Pregnant Is Fake

29 January 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Viral image of Kenya's former health minister Susan Nakhumicha seemingly pregnant is fake

IN SHORT: An image appearing to show former Kenyan health cabinet secretary Susan Nakhumicha heavily pregnant has been used to spread various claims about her. But the image is fake.

An image circulating on social media appears to show Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya's former cabinet secretary for health, heavily pregnant.

The image has been used to spread various claims about her and to mock her.

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"BREAKING NEWS: Kenyans congratulate former CS Susan Nakhumicha after she revealing her pregnancy with president Ruto," one user captioned it.

Nakhumicha came into the limelight in September 2022 when president William Ruto appointed her to lead the health ministry. She held that position until August 2024, when Ruto dissolved his cabinet after anti-government protests.

In March 2025, Ruto nominated Nakhumicha to serve as the new permanent representative to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in Nairobi, Kenya's capital.

In November, she announced plans to unseat Trans Nzoia county governor George Natembeya. The county is about 400 kilometres from Nairobi.

The image has circulated widely on social media.

But is it authentic? We checked.

Altered image

Africa Check ran the image through a reverse image search. The results led us to the original version posted by a Facebook page, which credited it to Nakhumicha's Facebook account.

The original photo does not show her pregnant.

We also checked her account and found that she posted the original photo on 24 January 2026.

She captioned it: "Waking up is one of the most underrated blessings. Good morning, my people."

The circulating image has been altered to depict her as pregnant 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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