No, Kenyan broadcaster TV47 did not publish article on ex-deputy president 'Kikuyu fallout' claims
IN SHORT: Posts on X include screenshots of what appears to be a TV47 article about Rigathi Gachagua facing backlash in Kikuyu town. But there is no evidence that the Kenyan outlet ever published such a story.
Several posts on X, posted on the morning of 13 April 2026, show what appear to be screenshots of an article on the TV47 Digital website.
The headline in the screenshot reads: "Analysts warn of divisive politics as Rigathi Gachagua faces Kikuyu fallout claims."
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A short paragraph below reads: "The reported chaos has sparked fresh warnings about the impact of political messaging. Observers say leaders must prioritize unity amid rising tensions."
The X posts present the screenshots as genuine TV47 content. But is this accurate? We checked.
Tensions around Gachagua's Kikuyu visit
The posts appeared two days after a chaotic political event involving former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua in Kikuyu town on 11 April.
In the weeks leading up to the rally, Gachagua had publicly insisted he would attend. He accused area member of parliament and national assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah of trying to block it.
In a letter to the inspector general of police, Gachagua alleged there were plans to use "goons" and police to disrupt the meeting. Ichung'wah, in turn, accused Gachagua of mobilising goons to stir unrest.
(Goons is a politicised term in Kenya for disenfranchised young men often exploited for political purposes, from street violence to informal security roles for the elite, as explained here.)
Since his impeachment in 2024, several of Gachagua's public appearances, including church visits, have been disrupted by police or groups of youths. On the day of the rally, early morning chaos was reported along the Southern Bypass, where motorists were blocked by unknown individuals and some were allegedly extorted.
Later, when Gachagua and other opposition leaders arrived in Kikuyu, police dispersed the crowd using teargas and fired shots in the air.
It is against this backdrop that the viral screenshot of the article, apparently published by TV47 Digital, emerged.
No record of article, signs of coordinated disinformation
A review of the TV47 digital website shows no record of an article with that headline or wording. There are also no matching posts on the outlet's official social media pages from around 13 April.
Further checks reveal that the same X accounts that posted the alleged TV47 article also posted similar "news article" screenshots attributed to other Kenyan outlets, including Daily Nation, Tuko, Mount Kenya, NTV and Citizen Digital.
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These conveyed very similar claims, all supposedly published on the same morning, for example, blaming Gachagua for fuelling tensions or linking him to the Kikuyu disruptions. Many of the posts also used the #RigathiWaChaos hashtag.
However, keyword searches across these outlets' websites and platforms found no evidence that any of these articles exist. The identical timing, similar wording, shared hashtag, and the fact that the same cluster of accounts circulated the screenshots all point to a coordinated effort to spread misleading content using fabricated media branding.
The claim is false. The TV47 Digital article shown in the screenshots does not exist, and the posts likely form part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.
