IN SHORT: Social media in Kenya has been awash with graphics claiming that former deputy vice president Rigathi Gachagua’s trip to the US was to receive cancer treatment. However, there is no public evidence to support this.
“Gachagua Misled Public on U.S. Visit Documents show he is receiving docetaxel chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins, contradicting earlier claims of a diplomatic mission,” reads a graphic circulating social media in Kenya.
The graphic, dated 12 July 2025, includes the logo of TV47, a Kenyan media house. It also features a photo of Kenya’s former deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua.
“Rigathi Gachagua is receiving Chemo, Not Lobbying in the U.S. hospital documents reveal he is undergoing cancer treatment. The People Deserve the Truth,” reads a similar graphic bearing the logo of the Kenyan newspaper, the Standard.
In addition to the circulating graphics, a patient form seemingly from the Karen Hospital in Nairobi outlines details of Gachagua’s medical transfer to Johns Hopkins University Hospital. The document seemingly bears the signature of Dr Dan Gikonyo, founder of the Karen Hospital, and is addressed to Dr Eugene Shenderov, an oncologist at Johns Hopkins.
The Johns Hopkins University Hospital is a division of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, a medical facility in East Baltimore in the United States.
On 9 July Gachagua left Kenya for the United States. There he has met with members of the Kenyan diaspora and participated in public forums focused on governance and youth activism.
Gachagua was Kenya’s deputy president from 2022 until his impeachment in October 2024, following a political fallout with president William Ruto. His critics accused him of corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining the government.
But is there any truth to the circulating claim? We checked.
No credible evidence that US trip was for treatment
There is no publicly available evidence that Gachagua travelled to the US for cancer treatment. There are also no reports from credible news outlets to support this claim.
Gachagua’s official X account details several of his US engagements, including a town hall meeting on 21 July 2025 in Boston and a community rally in Baltimore on 27 July. But there is no mention of a cancer treatment.
There are other signs that the graphics are fake. First, the claim was posted by individual social media accounts, not the official accounts of the Standard and TV47.
Second, the graphics feature random capitalisation. This is uncharacteristic of graphics from legitimate news outlets, which have specific style guidelines.
We found no evidence to support the claim that Gachagua travelled to the US for cancer treatment.
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