Image of protesters damaging road is from South Africa, not Kenya
'Rigathi Gachagua is Leading KIKUYUS TO POLITICAL HELL. ANYWAY, President William Ruto MUST Rule kenya till 2032, whether you like it or NOT (sic),' the post adds.
Image
Screenshot of the false post, taken July 11, 2025
Kamau, Maina and Mwangi are common names from Kenya's largest tribe, the Agikuyu/Kikuyu, while Gachagua, who hails from the community, is Kenya's ex-deputy president who was impeached last year after falling out with President William Ruto.
The image shows several people, one with a pickaxe raised, gathered on a section of a damaged road.
Similar claims were published elsewhere on X here and here.
Saba Saba aftermath
June 7, 2025, marked 35 years since Kenya's historic 'Saba Saba' (Swahili for 'Seven Seven') protests for multi-party democracy, which subsequently led to the 1991 repeal of Section 2A of the Kenyan Constitution which had enshrined Kenya as a one-party state (archived here).
At the time, the protests descended into violence, resulting in multiple injuries, deaths and over 1,000 arrests.
This year's Saba Saba anniversary commemoration saw nationwide protests, marked by a violent police response, looting and destruction (archived here and here).
In response to the protests, Ruto claimed that the opposition was attempting to 'overthrow' his government through 'unconstitutional means' and vowed firm action against the alleged 'coup plotters' (archived here).
Gachagua, now Ruto's rival, in turn accused the government of orchestrating violence and economic sabotage during the protests, claiming goons were sponsored by the state to cause chaos and then blame it on the Kikuyu community (archived here).
However, social media posts with an image purportedly showing a road vandalised by youth during the recent protests are false.
South African road
AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches and found that the image was taken in South Africa on September 22, 2020.
South African media reports featuring the image identified the damaged road as a section of KwaZulu-Natal's R33, located between the towns of Pomeroy and Dundee (archived here, here and here).
According to the reports, residents of Msinga local municipality destroyed the road during service delivery protests.
In a Facebook post dated September 23, 2020, the provincial transport department also published the image and condemned the vandalism (archived here).
'MEC Ntuli condemned the destruction of infrastructure and malicious damage to property after members of the community blocked the R33 and dug up the road in protest yesterday,' reads the post.
Government representatives subsequently visited the site in Pomeroy two days later (archived here).
AFP Fact Check has previously debunked claims linking the same image to supporters of a Kenyan member of parliament. On this occasion, the KwaZulu-Natal transport department confirmed that it indeed showed the R33 at Pomeroy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AFP
3 days ago
- AFP
Old photos circulate in hoax posts about cash scams in South Africa
'A 43 years old man was arrested for paying three young women with fake money after sleeping with them almost the whole night (sic),' reads a Facebook post published on July 12, 2025. The post adds that 'Peter Mukwevho from Makhado Biaba, Venda lured three young women to spend a night with him'. Makhado is a local municipality in South Africa's Limpopo province. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, published on July 12, 2025 The post, shared more than 700 times, includes three photos: a man being arrested by officers from the South African Police Service (SAPS), a roll of what appear to be 100 rand notes, and counterfeit bills in the same denomination. Similar claims were shared thousands of times on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, as well as in Portuguese. 2019 case A reverse image search of the first picture in the post leads to a SAPS statement published on December 6, 2019, related to an arrest in the Northern Cape province (archived here). 'Members of SAPS Crime Prevention in Hartswater arrested a 23-year-old suspect for being in possession of suspected drugs,' the statement reads. Image Screenshot of the 2019 photo on the SAPS website, taken on July 29, 2025 Hartswater is about 900 kilometres from Makhado, the town named in the false posts. AFP Fact Check could not source the original image of the rolled up cash bundle, but the photo of the loose counterfeit notes appeared in a 2019 community article warning residents about fake money scammers operating in Benoni, east of Johannesburg (archived here). Image Screenshot of the bogus cash from 2019, taken on July 29, 2025 The recent false claim says the man was 'arrested for paying three young women with fake money after sleeping with them'. Sex work is criminalised in South Africa, so its unlikely the purported victims in the claim would have reported this to the police (archived here). A Google search for credible reports matching the details in the claim uncovered an unrelated case from 2022 involving extortion, fraud and corruption charges against a woman in the Eastern Cape (archived here). Dowry hoax The same Facebook account 'Koos de Klerk' is circulating another false claim about a Nigerian man who 'was arrested for paying R120 000 Lobola with fake money'. Lobola is a dowry. 'The parents of the bride noticed that the money is fake when they wanted to deposit it at the ATM (sic),' reads the post dated July 20, 2025. The post features pictures of a man being arrested by a SAPS officer and two other pictures showing various South African banknotes on the ground next to a black plastic bag. The claim has circulated tens of thousands of times on multiple platforms, including X, Instagram and Threads. It was also published by a Facebook account called 'Koos de Klerk Junior', which appears to be a backup for the 'Koos de Klerk' page. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on July 29, 2025 However, the posts are false; a reverse image search revealed that the picture of the arrested suspect originates from a police statement published on June 23, 2015 (archived here). 'On Tuesday, 23 June 2015, police in Kimberley arrested a 46-year-old man at his house in Roodepan, suspected of committing rape,' the statement reads. At the time, police suspected the man had committed and attempted rapes in the Northern Cape. Image Screenshot of the photo on the SAPS website from 2015, taken on July 29, 2025 Separately, another online search revealed that the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) issued photos of the cash on the ground in a statement dated November 17, 2022 (archived here). After a tip-off, JMPD arrested a 47-year-old Congolese male in possession of R63,000 (about $3,600) in counterfeit money in Berea. Media Statement: SUSPECT NABBED IN POSSESSION OF COUNTERFEIT MONEY IN BEREA A 47-year-old male arrested by #JMPD IIOC Undercover Reaction Unit in possession of counterfeit money in Berea. #SaferJoburg#WeServeJoburg# — Jo'burg Metro Police Department - JMPD (@JoburgMPD) November 17, 2022 The dowry story was recycled from a similar claim that AFP Fact Check debunked in 2024 when posts claimed an elderly woman was arrested for using counterfeit money she had received from her Nigerian future son-in-law. Police at the time confirmed the tale was fabricated, and the image was from an unrelated raid in 2021. Additionally, on July 28, 2025, police confirmed to AFP Fact Check that the two recent claims are false. 'In Limpopo, we do not have such cases,' spokesman for the provincial police, Malesela Ledwaba, wrote in a WhatsApp message. While these claims are false, counterfeit crimes do occur in the country. A police statement from July 2025 reports that three men in Johannesburg were arrested for possessing and printing fake notes (archived here).
AFP
4 days ago
- AFP
Posts misleadingly claim Nigerian governor renamed school after monarch died
'Governor Dapo Abiodun announces the change of name in honor of the Late Awujale Of Ijebu Ode from Tai Solarin College Of Education oo The Oba Sikiru Adetona College Of Science And Technology (sic),' reads the caption of an X post published on July 21, 2025. Image Screenshot showing the misleading post, taken on July 25, 2025 Attached to the post is a one-minute video showing Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, listing projects completed in honour of Adetona, including the renaming of a state-owned school from Tai Solarin College of Education to Oba Sikiru Adetona College of Science and Technology. Shared more than 500 times, the claim was published by an account called 'AsakyGRN'. A review of the account shows it shares posts on Nigerian politics and entertainment with more than 89,000 followers. The claim was also shared here on Instagram by a popular Nigerian blog called 'instablog9ja'. Adetona, the late Awujale of Ijebuland and one of Nigeria's longest-reigning monarchs, died on July 13, 2025, at the age of 91 (archived here). While Adetona was revered for his principled 64-year leadership of the culturally rich Ijebu people, Tai Solarin, known for his bold ideas, love for education and fearless voice for the common man, was celebrated as one of Nigeria's most influential educators, and has several institutions named after him. However, the post does not show Ogun state governor Abiodun renaming an educational institution after Adetona following his death. Old change Using Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the clip, AFP Fact Check was led to the original video published on YouTube on July 23, 2025 (archived here). The video, which runs for 55 minutes, shows the 8th-day Fidau prayer — a Muslim memorial held to pray for the soul of the deceased — organised for the late monarch and attended by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, state governors, and other top political figures. At 12'13', Abiodun takes the podium and speaks about Adetona's legacy and impact on Ogun state. 'In appreciation of our love, respect and support for Kabiesi, one of my first actions upon assuming office was the immediate award for the reconstruction of the Ijubu-ode/ Ojoda/Egbe road…', the governor says a few minutes later at 15'45' — the exact point where the video in the misleading posts starts. At 16'08'', he adds: 'We also renamed the Tai Solarin College of Education in Ogun in his honour, and I am glad we did all these in his lifetime. It [the college] is now known as the Oba Sikiru Adetona College of Science and Technology.' Using the institution's name as a keyword in an internet search, AFP Fact Check was led to a news article published in 2022 when the school was formally renamed — a development Abiodun had initially discussed in 2021 during a political campaign (archived here and here). In a statement by Abiodun's media aide, Kayode Akinmade, the governor clarified that the institution renamed after the late monarch was one of two campuses that emerged from the former Tai Solarin College of Education (archived here). He said the degree-awarding arm became Tai Solarin University of Education, while the second campus — focused on teacher training — was renamed Sikiru Adetona College of Education, Science and Technology in 2022.
AFP
6 days ago
- AFP
Old image causes confusion over convicted ex-Kenyan leader's whereabouts
Former Kenyan governor Ferdinand Waititu was sentenced to prison on corruption charges in February 2025. But an image recently shared on social media shows Waititu at a hair transplant clinic, and not in jail as expected. However, this is misleading; the image predates Waititu's conviction and subsequent imprisonment. 'Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu, who is supposed to be in jail, spotted at a hair transplant clinic,' reads a Facebook post published on July 20, 2025. Image Screenshot of the misleading post, taken July 24, 2025 The image shows Waititu and a man in blue scrubs and a surgical cap, standing in a room in front of a sign that reads 'Artistic Hair Transplant Center'. Similar claims were published elsewhere on X (here and here) and Facebook (here and here). Waititu, the former governor of Kenya's Kiambu county, was impeached in January 2020 on charges of gross violation of the constitution, crimes under the national law and abuse of office (archived here). In February 2025, he was remanded and sentenced to a fine of Ksh 53.7 million ($413,490), or in default, 12 years in prison, for charges involving a Ksh 588 million ($4,527,600) graft case. He was also barred from vying for any political seat for 10 years (archived here and here). Waititu was first charged in the corruption case in July 2019 (archived here). Despite appealing his conviction and seeking release on bond pending appeal, Waititu has had his applications denied by the High Court twice and is being held at Nairobi's Kamiti maximum security prison (archived here, here and here). However, the image purportedly showing the former governor recently at a hair transplant clinic is old. Old image AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches and found that the image was published on Instagram by 'Artistic_Hair_Centre' on July 20, 2025 (archived here). 'Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, thank you for trusting Artistic Hair Transplant Centre,' reads the post. The post led some to question if Waititu had been released from prison, as it was not clear when the photo was taken. In response, the clinic clarified: 'This photo was taken before any legal issues. We shared it to show real results from our work nothing more. We focus on professionalism, not personal matters.' Image Screenshot of the clinic's response on the Instagram post Speaking to local media outlet Tuko, Jared Kimwaga, the doctor photographed with Waititu, said that he handled Waititu's hair transplant procedures in February and October 2024 (archived here). He explained that he had not seen the ex-governor since October 2024 and that the photo was reposted to showcase the kind of clients the clinic handles. AFP Fact Check contacted Kimwaga, and he reiterated: 'It is an old photo that has been used out of context. I performed two hair restoration procedures on the former governor twice last year. The recent photo was for promotional purposes.' A look at the clinic's website shows that they have promoted their work with other politicians, including former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, though the photos are not dated (archived here). Image Screenshot of photos of politicians published on the clinic's website There is no credible evidence to suggest that Waititu has been released from prison.
