A Facebook image claiming to show Kenyan President William Ruto and Uganda's Vice President Jessica Alupo making a political gesture has been found to be altered. The image, which depicts the two leaders seated and holding up two fingers, was purportedly taken during a meeting in the USA for the United Nations General Assembly. The gesture represents the 'tutam' slogan used by Ruto's supporters for his re-election campaign.
An investigation by PesaCheck, East Africa's first public finance fact-checking initiative, found that the image was manipulated. A reverse search led to similar photos of Ruto and Alupo on the Kenyan President's social media accounts, but these images do not show the two making the gesture. According to the posts, Ruto and Alupo met on the sidelines of the UNGA meeting in New York, reaffirming their commitment to advancing mutual interests for their countries' prosperity.
A video clip shared on the State House Kenya YouTube channel, showing footage of the meeting, was reviewed and found no record of Ruto and Alupo making the gesture. This indicates that the image in question was altered. Authentic images from the meeting were shared on various platforms, further confirming the inauthenticity of the manipulated image.
PesaCheck's fact-checking process involves partnering with Facebook and other social media platforms to identify and verify potentially false information. The initiative aims to provide the public with deeper insight and context into posts they see in their social media feeds. PesaCheck's managing editor, Doreen Wainainah, oversees the publication of fact-checks, including this one.
The fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Harriet Ogayo and edited by senior copy editor Mary Mutisya and chief copy editor Stephen Ndegwa. PesaCheck was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein and is incubated by Code for Africa, the continent's largest civic technology and data journalism accelerator.
PesaCheck focuses on verifying information related to public finances and Sustainable Development Goals, such as healthcare, rural development, and access to water and sanitation. The initiative also tests the accuracy of media reportage. For more information, visit pesacheck.org.
The public can report suspected fake or false information on Facebook using a provided reporting tool. More information on PesaCheck's methodology for fact-checking can also be found online. This fact-check is part of PesaCheck's ongoing series examining content marked as potential misinformation on social media platforms.
Key points
- The image of Kenyan President Ruto and Uganda's Vice President Alupo making a political gesture is inauthentic.
- PesaCheck's investigation found no record of Ruto and Alupo making the gesture in authentic images and video from their meeting.
- PesaCheck partners with social media platforms to verify potentially false information and provide the public with accurate context.
