Kenya: Misleading Images Used to Claim That Kenyan Arrested While Attempting to Sell Human Remains As Meat

N SHORT: An image appearing to show a man in handcuffs is circulating on social media in Kenya, with claims that he was arrested while trying to sell human meat. However, the claim is false.

An image appearing to show a man wearing a red shirt and grey trousers in handcuffs is circulating on social media in Kenya, alongside another image of what looks like a carcass hanging in a butcher's shop.

Users who posted the image claimed that the man was arrested in Kibera, a slum on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, while attempting to sell human remains.

"NEWS UPDATE: A 25 year old man from Gusii origin has been arrested by police in Kibera, Nairobi, following a disturbing incident," the caption reads, in part.

Alleging that police have launched further investigations, the caption goes on: "Authorities report that he was allegedly found in possession of suspected human remains which he is said to have been attempting to sell to unsuspecting residents as meat."

It also claims that the man is from the Kisii ethnic community, mainly found in western Kenya.

The image has been posted widely and viewed over 3 million times.

Cases of illegal meat finding their way onto Kenyan plates are not unheard of. There have been arrests of people slaughtering and selling donkey meat to unsuspecting customers.

But can the claim that human meat was on sale be trusted? We checked.

No evidence

Africa Check conducted a reverse image search of the individual in red and found the original photo and article posted on 9 May 2026. It was published by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.

According to the broadcaster, the image shows a 30-year-old man who was arrested after allegedly attacking and killing his grandmother over a debt.

While the second image may resemble a human torso and buttocks, it's not clearly human, and is much more likely to be a piece of a sheep or cow carcass.

Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the police branch responsible for investigating crime, frequently posts updates on the arrests it has made concerning sensitive incidents. Despite the claim drawing public interest, the DCI has not reported on it.

All signs point to the claim being false and that it 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