Viral newspaper column about a prominent Kenyan governor defecting to government is fake
IN SHORT: In a screenshot of what appears to be the popular Corridors of Power column it is claimed that a vocal governor from western Kenya is planning to defect to the government following a presidential visit. But this is not the real column, and the Star has denied publishing it.
In an image circulating on social media in January 2026 it is claimed that a prominent governor from the Western Kenya region is preparing to ditch the opposition.
The screenshot appears to show the print version of Corridors of Power, a popular political gossip column published in the Kenyan newspaper the Star.
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It features a photo of George Natembeya, the governor of Trans Nzoia county, located about 380 kilometres from Nairobi, Kenya's capital.
Natembeya is known for his firm political style and outspoken leadership. He is the founder of the Tawe Movement, with "tawe" meaning "no" in Luhya, a language spoken in the region. The movement challenged the long-standing dominance of senior political leaders in Western Kenya, putting him at odds with influential leaders in the national government.
The column posted on X reads, in part: "Quiet maneuvers in Western Kenya suggest a defection is being rehearsed. A vocal governor long courted by both sides has lately been seen with trusted government operatives from the western frontier, meetings dismissed publicly but loaded privately."
The image began circulating days after Kenyan president William Ruto launched the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (Nyota) programme.
The Nyota programme is a government initiative put in place in partnership with development agencies, targeting unemployed and vulnerable youth across the country.
Kenya's politics are heating up ahead of the 2027 general election, with intense speculation about new alliances. It is in this context that this column is circulating, possibly giving credibility to speculation about shifting political loyalties ahead of the elections.
But is this in fact a screenshot of the Star's Corridors of Power column and did the column make this claim? We checked.
Fake column
Corridors of Power is known for its short and anonymously written pieces of political gossip. It usually does not include photos of the subjects of a story. Therefore, the image circulating online is inconsistent with how the column typically appears in print.
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A search of the Star's website found no such story, and nothing was published on its verified X and Facebook accounts, where the column is usually promoted.
Instead, on 26 January, the Star flagged the screenshot through its social media accounts, stamping it "FAKE".
"FAKE NEWS ALERT: This is not the true version of our Corridors of Power page. Treat it as FAKE!" the paper wrote.
The circulating column is fake.
