IN SHORT: Kenyan opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka has not expressed support for violence against critics. Ignore a fake graphic that claims otherwise.
A graphic circulating on social media in Kenya ascribes surprising words to Kalonzo Musyoka, the leader of the opposition Wiper party.
“I saw what happened to Machakos MCA and without fear of contradiction, that is the way to go,” the text begins.
“I am fully in support, Governor Wavinya don’t allow anyone criticize your government even if it means stripping off your innerwears. Go ahead.”
Wavinya Ndeti is the governor of Machakos county, one of Kenya’s 47 counties, and a Wiper party member. MCA refers to a member of the county assembly.
MCA Boniface Maeke of Kalama ward was injured while resisting arrest during a confrontation with Machakos county police officers on 31 January 2024.
Maeke was arrested while attending a court case in support of Masii ward MCA Douglas Musyoka, who was accused of building his homestead in contravention of county government regulations. In response, Ndeti called for an investigation into the incident and regretted the injuries Maeke sustained.
Masii and Kalama are two county administrative wards.
The graphic includes the logo of Kenya's national broadcaster KBC, and a photo of Musyoka. It’s similar to the quote graphics the media house regularly posts on social media.
The image has also been shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But did the graphic of Musyoka, a national leader, supporting violence against political critics really come from KBC? We checked.
Ignore fake graphic
Africa Check searched Google for news of Musyoka’s statement and came up empty. No credible media house reported the story.
We searched KBC’s official Facebook page, X (formerly Twitter) account and website for the graphic, but found no information related to the quote.
On 7 February, KBC posted the graphic on its X account with the words “fake” written across it in red. “Caution: The content below contains fake news,” reads the post.
The graphic is fake and should be disregarded.
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