A screengrab of a Tuko.co.ke article on X, supposedly published on 17 September 2026, claims Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is willing to form an alliance with Jubilee. The article, which went viral following speculations over Uhuru Kenyatta's supposed financial backing of the Linda Mwananchi movement, has been flagged as potential misinformation. PesaCheck investigated the article to verify its authenticity and found several discrepancies.
An initial browser search led PesaCheck to a 23 June 2021 article with a similar headline, "Edwin Sifuna: We're Going to Put Ring on Jubilee's Finger Because They're Equal Partner." A search on the Tuko.co.ke website confirmed that the 2021 article is the closest match to the purported article. However, there are notable differences in the publication date and title.
Further investigation revealed that the article under scrutiny quotes Sifuna speaking on Linda Mwananchi, while the legitimate Tuko.co.ke article quotes Sifuna speaking on behalf of ODM. The legitimate article reports that the ODM party was considering a coalition with Jubilee as an equal partner ahead of the 2022 general election. Additionally, the screengrab tags the article as entertainment news, whereas the legitimate article is categorized under politics.
The legitimate article was based on Sifuna's comments during a TV interview, in which the then ODM Party secretary general stated, "There is no ring on Jubilee's finger, we are in coalition with an equal partner." Moreover, there is no record of the author having published the article under scrutiny. Tuko.co.ke's sub-editor, Jackson Otukho, confirmed to PesaCheck that the article under scrutiny is fabricated.
Otukho outlined that the article path, 'Entertainment - Celebrities' in the screengrab, is unlikely and that there's no such article by the tagged author. PesaCheck's investigation confirmed that the purported article is altered and did not originate from Tuko.co.ke. This fact-check is part of an ongoing series examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
PesaCheck, a third-party fact-checking organization, partners with Facebook and similar social media platforms to help sort fact from fiction. The public can report suspected fake or false information on Facebook, and PesaCheck provides deeper insight and context to posts seen in social media feeds. The fact-check was written by Harriet Ogayo and edited by Mary Mutisya and Cédrick Irakoze, and approved for publication by Dore, PesaCheck's managing editor.
Key findings from the investigation include the article's altered publication date, discrepancies in content, and incorrect categorization.
Key points
- The purported Tuko.co.ke article on Senator Edwin Sifuna's political vehicle is altered.
- The article under scrutiny quotes Sifuna speaking on Linda Mwananchi, while the legitimate article quotes Sifuna speaking on behalf of ODM.
- Tuko.co.ke's sub-editor confirmed that the article under scrutiny is fabricated and did not originate from their website.
