IN SHORT: After reports that Kenyan deputy president Kithure Kindiki criticized ruling party chair Cecil Mbarire for not protecting president William Ruto from being heckled, a graphic quoting Mbarire’s response went viral. But it is fake.
The chairperson of Kenya’s ruling party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Cecil Mbarire has criticised the country’s deputy president Kithure Kindiki over his remarks on her suitability to lead the party. This is according to a graphic circulating on social media in Kenya.
“Cecil Mbarire to Kindiki: Stop Lecturing Me on Ruto's Booing Yet You Fear Your Own Homecoming,” reads the graphic.
It features the logo of the Kenyan news site Nation Africa, implying that they published it.
The graphic has been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
The graphic appears to be in response to Kindiki’s remarks in January 2025, in which he questioned why Kenyan president and UDA party leader William Ruto was heckled in Embu county in November 2024. Ruto was accompanied by Mbarire, who is the county’s governor, elected on the UDA ticket, and serves as the party’s chairperson.
“I met with my sister Cecil, the governor of Embu. I asked her, how is it possible? You are the national chairperson of UDA, you're a UDA governor, and the national chairperson of the ruling party. Your party leader, the president, comes to your home town and is heckled, what reasons do we have to have you onboard? How is that possible? It is not possible," Kindiki asked.
Growing discontent
The heckling came in the wake of public dissatisfaction with Ruto’s government. He was booed while trying to promote the Social Health Authority (SHA), a controversial health scheme the government rolled out to replace Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund.
The SHA, one of the flagship projects of Ruto’s government, aims to provide affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare services to all Kenyans by pooling their contributions. But it has faced various challenges, including system glitches which have resulted in patients being denied services despite being registered members.
The growing discontent in the region is also a result of the impeachment of former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who comes from the Mount Kenya region. When used in a political context in the country, “Mt Kenya” usually refers to the communities living in the central region of Kenya, specifically the Kikuyu, Meru and Embu.
Gachagua was impeached on charges of corruption, sowing ethnic divisions and undermining Ruto’s government. He denied the charges and accused the president of a political witch hunt. Many of Gachagua’s supporters feel that Ruto has betrayed the Kikuyu by impeaching Gachagua.
A surge in unexplained abductions targeting young government critics and believed to be carried out by state agents is also denting the popularity of Ruto’s government. The abductions became more common after the June 2024 anti-government protests over the 2024 Finance Bill, which contained controversial tax hike proposals.
While some of those abducted have been released, some have disappeared, only to be found dead. The police have denied involvement in the abductions.
Ruto named then interior minister Kindiki as Gachagua’s replacement. He was sworn in on 1 November but had yet to organise his “homecoming” at the time of publication, a political event in Kenya where new government appointees return to their ancestral homes to celebrate their new positions with their people. This has fueled speculations and rumours.
But is the graphic quoting Cecil Mbarire legit? We checked.
No evidence
Africa Check didn’t find any instance where the claim had been reported by credible media outlets in Kenya. Instead, a video posted on 1 February 2025 showed Mbarire asking people to support Kindiki.
We also noted the text in the graphic does not conform to Nation Africa’s usual house style, despite featuring the Nation Africa logo. For instance, the first two words are usually written in capitals in a genuine graphic. The font used for the date on the suspicious graphic also doesn’t match the one on legit graphics.
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 the accounts.
On 31 January, the news site posted a blurred version of the suspicious graphic, with the word “fake” printed on it.
“FAKE NEWS ALERT! Please be advised that this card doing rounds on social media is fake,” it wrote on Facebook.
All signs point to a fake graphic that should be ignored.
The graphic was also posted here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
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