Kenya: Altered Images Used to Falsely Claim Kenyan Opposition Politician Kalonzo Musyoka Met US President Donald Trump

11 February 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Altered images used to falsely claim Kenyan opposition politician Kalonzo Musyoka met US president Donald Trump

IN SHORT: Images supposedly showing Kenyan opposition politician Kalonzo Musyoka meeting US president Donald Trump are circulating on social media. However, the images are fabricated.

Kenyan opposition politician Kalonzo Musyoka travelled to the US to attend the 74th National Prayer Breakfast in the capital, Washington DC. US president Donald Trump addressed the annual meeting.

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Hours after arriving in the country, two images seemingly showing Musyoka meeting Trump emerged online.

The first image appeared to show Musyoka and Trump addressing the media, while the second showed the two seated in the Oval Office.

Users who posted the images claimed that Trump received Musyoka at the airport and that the two held talks in which Trump backed Musyoka's 2027 presidential bid.

"BREAKING NEWS: President Donald Trump and Kenya's former Vice President and incoming 6th President Dr. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka are addressing the media on the streets of Washington, D.C., ahead of a high-stakes meeting at the Oval Office," one caption reads.

Musyoka is the leader of the Wiper Patriotic Front party. A prominent opposition figure, he served as Kenya's vice president from 2008 to 2010. He hails from the Kamba community and is widely regarded as its political kingpin.

He has declared his intention to run for president in Kenya's 2027 general election and has joined other opposition leaders in a bid to unseat president William Ruto.

But can the circulating images be trusted? We checked.

Fabricated images

A closer look at the first image shows that the person standing next to Trump does not resemble Musyoka. In the second image, the appearances of Musyoka and Trump look inaccurate.

We ran the first image through a reverse image search and located the original. In the original photo, Trump is alone as he speaks to reporters at Lehigh Valley International Airport in the US state of Pennsylvania in 2025.

We did not find the second image published by any credible media outlet, suggesting it was most likely generated using artificial intelligence tools.

Musyoka has used his verified Facebook and X accounts to update his supporters on the US trip, but has not claimed to have met Trump.

The images are fabricated 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. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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