A recent social media post shared an image purportedly showing a campaign poster for a candidate in the Kilimani Ward race in Nairobi City County. The poster, which has been found to be altered, features a candidate named Hai Shi, who is said to be vying on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket. However, further investigation revealed that the information on the poster was not accurate.
A Google reverse image search led to the original poster, which was shared by several news outlets. The poster indicates that Hai Shi is contesting Ward 103 in Johannesburg, South Africa, not Kilimani Ward in Nairobi, Kenya. He is running under the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa's local government elections, scheduled for 4 November 2026.
PesaCheck, a fact-checking organisation, conducted an investigation into the image and found it to be altered. The organisation is part of a series of fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms. PesaCheck partners with Facebook and similar social media platforms to help sort fact from fiction.
The altered poster was shared as several politicians continue expressing interest in various political offices ahead of Kenya's general election scheduled for 10 August 2027. The image was also shared on other social media platforms, indicating that it had gained traction online before being flagged as false.
PesaCheck's fact-checking methodology involves verifying information through keyword searches and reverse image searches. In this case, similar searches for Hai Shi and Kilimani Ward in Kenya yielded no results corroborating the claim. This suggests that the information on the altered poster was fabricated.
The fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Flavia Nassaka and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Mary Mutisya and chief copy editor Stephen Ndegwa. The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor Doreen Wainainah. PesaCheck is East Africa's first public finance fact-checking initiative.
PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organisations. The organisation seeks to help the public separate fact from fiction in public pronouncements about the numbers that shape our world.
Key points
- The poster claiming to be for a candidate in the Kilimani Ward race in Nairobi was altered.
- Hai Shi is actually contesting Ward 103 in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the African National Congress (ANC).
- PesaCheck is part of a series of fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
