IN SHORT: A graphic quoting Kenyan MP Kimani Ichung'wa on the relocation of the flashpoint Marikiti market has been circulating, suggesting that he dismissed concerns about the move. But the evidence for this has been fabricated.
The controversial relocation of a major food market in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, has led to violent protests and legal challenges.
Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja, the key figure behind the transfer, wants to reduce overcrowding and restore order in the capital.
However, traders opposed the relocation of the centrally located Marikiti (or Wakulima) market to Kangundo Road on the outskirts of the city, citing fears of loss of business, higher costs, and disruption to their livelihoods.
Despite these concerns and the cultural importance of the market, the Nairobi city county government has stood firm and offered a two-month cess waiver to ease the transition.
As of 17 September 2024, the traders had agreed to relocate, signalling progress in ongoing efforts.
It is in the context that a quote attributed to influential ruling party politician Kimani Ichung’wa has been making the rounds online.
“Our people stop playing the victim. The relocation of the potato and cabbage market in Marikiti is a non-issue; pastoralists and Luos don’t demand special markets for their livestock or fish. Let's learn to coexist,” reads the quote on a graphic that appears to be from the Kenyan newspaper the Star.
Ichung'wa is a member of parliament for Kikuyu constituency in Kiambu, a county neighbouring Nairobi. He is from the Kikuyu community, Kenya's largest ethnic group with 8.14 million people according to the 2019 census.
The quote reflects a dismissive attitude to concerns about the relocation of the Marikiti market and draws on stereotypes of Kenya's Kikuyu and Luo communities – associating Kikuyus with potatoes and cabbage and Luos with fish, their traditional economic activities.
These generalisations are often used to make assumptions about cultural practices and have often fuelled the ethnic tensions that exist between the two communities.
The quote implies that the traders opposing the move are from the Kikuyu community, suggesting that their concerns are unreasonable and do not deserve special treatment.
The graphic was posted here, here and here.
But did the Star publish this graphic? We checked.
Fake graphic
Given the media attention surrounding the relocation of the Marikiti market, such a statement would have made for a strong news byte. However, no media outlets reported it.
A search of the Star's social media platforms found no trace of the graphic.
However, we found that on 17 September 2024, this graphic was flagged as “FAKE”.
“This post is not associated with us in any way and should be treated as FAKE,” the Star wrote on social media platform X.
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