IN SHORT: A graphic on social media, supposedly from Nation Media Group, claims Kenyan president William Ruto hosted billionaire Gautam Adani at the State House to lead Diwali celebrations. But this is not true, and the graphic is not from Nation.
A graphic circulating on social media platforms X and TikTok appears to be a breaking news alert from Nation Africa. It reads: “President Ruto hosts Adani at State House to lead Hindu community in Diwali celebrations.”
The graphic has a picture of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and is dated 30 October 2024. It bears the logo and branding of nation.africa, the digital platform of the Nation Media Group, a major publisher in Kenya.
Collectively, the graphic has been viewed over 5,400 times.
The context
Gautam Adani is an Indian billionaire industrialist who is the co-founder and chairperson of the Adani Group, a conglomerate that specialises in energy, mining, infrastructure and agribusiness.
In March 2024, a subsidiary of the Adani Group, Adani Airport Holdings Limited, submitted a proposal to upgrade and operate Kenya’s main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), for 30 years.
This proposal came under public scrutiny in July following a leak of details. It caused controversy due to the perceived secrecy surrounding the deal. It also raised concerns that the airport was being sold, especially in light of public pronouncements by Kenyan president William Ruto that the government would privatise several state-owned corporations.
On 11 September, workers at JKIA went on strike over concerns about the contract. The deal has also been challenged in court by civil society organisations. In October, it was reported that the Kenyan government had signed a power transmission deal with another Adani subsidiary to build and operate power transmission lines and substations for 30 years.
The Adani Group was defending itself in court cases regarding the airport deal. But during his State of the Nation Address on 21 November, Ruto announced the cancellation of the Adani-JKIA deal.
On 30 October, Ruto hosted Diwali celebrations at the State House, the seat of the presidency. This was the first time Diwali celebrations had been held there. On that day, allegations began to circulate that the billionaire was being hosted at the State House and presiding over the celebrations.
But is this claim true? We checked.
Graphic not from Nation
A search of Nation Africa’s social media pages did not reveal such a graphic. We also couldn't find the story on their website.
A review of the State House Diwali celebrations shows that the event consisted mainly of cultural performances. The speakers were Sujatha Kotamraju, the chairperson of the Hindu Council of Kenya, and Bimal Kantaria, a Kenyan businessman of Indian descent, who spoke as a trustee representative of the council. The event was led by the Hindu Council of Kenya, not by Adani.
Furthermore, a keyword search on Adani and the Diwali celebrations at the State House does not reveal any credible information about the billionaire's presence at the event.
Given the high level of public interest in the airport deal, if Ruto were to host Adani or his team, several media outlets would likely report on it. This did not happen.
The claim that Ruto invited Adani to the State House to lead the Diwali celebrations is false. The fabricated graphic did not come from the Nation.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Add new comment