IN SHORT: Just weeks after Kenya’s ruling party, the United Democratic Alliance, merged with the Amani National Congress, a graphic circulating on social media claims that the country’s main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement, is also set for a merger with the UDA. But it is fake.
Kenya’s main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), is set to merge with the country’s ruling party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). This is according to a graphic doing the rounds on social media.
“ODM to Fold and Merge with UDA After Raila's AUC Bid, Forming Kenya Kwanza Alliance Party as Ruto's 2027 Re-Election Vehicle,” the text in the graphic reads.
The UDA is led by president William Ruto while the ODM is led by opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The graphic shows the logo of Nation Africa, the online platform of one of the largest media houses in Kenya. It also includes its SMS number.
It has been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
The claim about the merger comes just weeks after the UDA merged with the Amani National Congress, linked to prime cabinet secretary and cabinet secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs Musalia Mudavadi.
The party appeared to have heeded to Ruto’s call for merger of political parties that formed the Kenya Kwanza alliance. The alliance, led by Ruto, defeated the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition, led by Odinga, in the August 2022 elections.
Improved relations
Once bitter political rivals, Ruto and Odinga’s relations significantly improved in 2024. Ruto is backing Odinga’s candidacy for the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).
The AUC is the secretariat of the African Union and manages the day-to-day activities of the 55-country bloc. It is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Odinga is one of three candidates seeking to replace Chadian Moussa Faki Mahamat when his second and final term ends. The chair is elected for a four-year term, renewable once. The next election for the position is set to take place on 15 and 16 February 2025.
Ruto and Odinga’s relationship became more pronounced when Ruto sacked almost his entire cabinet and included opposition members in his new cabinet in what he called a broad-based government. The new appointments followed deadly anti-government protests sparked by the unpopular 2024 Finance Bill, which included controversial tax hike proposals.
The new-found camaraderie between the government and the opposition has seen Odinga tone down his criticism of the government. But it has also fueled speculations that he might support a merger with the ruling party ahead of Kenya’s 2027 general election.
But how credible is the claim and the graphic? We checked.
Graphic fabricated
The news of a possible merger attracted the attention of ODM deputy party leader Godfrey Osotsi, who dismissed the claim as “propaganda”.
Despite the new development being newsworthy, it has not been reported by reputable local and international news outlets.
Africa Check noted that despite the graphic featuring the logo of Nation Africa, it doesn't seem to conform to its usual house style. For example, the first two words in a genuine graphic are usually written in capital letters, which is not the case with the graphic in question.
A closer look at the font used for the date on the suspicious graphic also reveals it is different from the one on legit graphics, which is another red flag.
The workmanship of the graphic is also below the quality usually produced by the news site. For instance, the images of Ruto and Raila on it have been combined in an amateurish way to suggest they are shaking hands, which is odd.
Nation Africa usually posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X. Africa Check did not find the graphic posted on any of the accounts.
All signs point to a fake graphic that should be ignored.
The graphic was also posted here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
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