Kenya President Ruto Didn't Order Kisii Community to Leave - Image With Citizen TV Logo Is Fake

21 September 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Tess Wandia

Kenya president Ruto didn't order Kisii community to leave - image with Citizen TV logo is fake

IN SHORT: An image circulating on social media in Kenya appears to show Citizen TV reporting that president William Ruto ordered members of the Kisii community to leave Kenya by 12 September 2026. But the image is fake

"No Kisii should be in Kenya. Deadline up to Sept 12," reads text on an image posted on Facebook on 10 September 2026.

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The image appears to be from a live news broadcast on Citizen TV, a popular Kenyan news station with a nationwide reach. It shows Kenyan president William Ruto seemingly delivering an address from State House in the capital, Nairobi.

The Kisii are an ethnic group found mainly in western Kenya.

Kenya will hold its next general election in August 2027, when Ruto will be seeking a second term.

Ethnicity has long played a major role in Kenyan politics and is expected to remain a factor in the 2027 election.

The image has also been posted here and here.

But did Citizen TV report that Ruto had ordered Kisiis out of Kenya by 12 September 2026? We checked.

Manipulated image

Africa Check compared the circulating image with previous Citizen TV breaking news reports and noticed significant differences. The circulating image features text in different fonts and font sizes, whereas an authentic Citizen TV breaking news report uses consistent typography. The text on the circulating image is also blurry, another indicator of manipulation.

Africa Check found no credible media reports from Citizen TV or other media houses quoting the president as making such remarks. Remarks by a president ordering an ethnic community to leave the country would also be highly newsworthy and likely attract widespread media coverage.

We found no evidence that Ruto ordered members of the Kisii community to leave Kenya. The Citizen TV graphic is fake.

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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