IN SHORT: Several Facebook users claim that a photo circulating on Facebook is of the Elwak-Modogoshe road, also known as the Isiolo-Mandera road, in northeastern Kenya. However, the photo was created using artificial intelligence.
“Elwak Modagashe road quarterly done,” reads the caption of a photo circulating on Facebook in Kenya. The photo shows trucks and construction workers on a freshly tarred winding road.
Elwak is a town in Mandera county, while Modogashe is a town in Garissa county.
During president William Ruto’s development tour of northeastern Kenya in February 2025, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing the Isiolo-Mandera road project, aimed at boosting trade and economic growth.
The 749-kilometre road will be constructed in four main phases to tackle long-standing challenges of underdevelopment and isolation. The road will connect four counties in the northeastern region: Isiolo, Garissa, Mandera and Wajir.
Some social media users ridiculed the announcement of the construction, which began during former president Mwai Kibaki’s tenure and remained unfinished by his successor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Courtesy of funding secured from the World Bank, construction of the road from Isiolo to Mandera officially resumed in May.
The photo also appears here and here.
But is it legitimate? We checked.
Image likely generated using artificial intelligence
There are signs that the photo may have been generated using artificial intelligence, or AI.
AI tools are often developed to perform some tasks usually done by humans, like answering questions, writing code, and creating videos and images. But these tools can sometimes make mistakes that are detectable to the human eye.
A closer look at the photo reveals the blurred faces and vegetation surrounding the road, as well as the distortion of the construction tools.
An AI image detector tool also suggests that the image is likely to contain AI-generated content.
Additionally, none of the posts has identified a source for the image.
While results from AI-generated content detectors can be inaccurate and should not be solely relied on, the visual inconsistencies and the of an identified source suggest that the image may have been AI-generated.
There is no evidence to suggest that the image is legitimate and shows the current road construction progress as claimed.
For tips on spotting AI-generated images and videos, see Africa Check’s guide.
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