IN SHORT: Fake media graphics are increasingly circulating on Kenyan social media platforms. One example is a graphic quoting Kenya's interior minister saying that couples without marriage certificates will be penalised on a monthly basis.
A graphic circulating on social media in Kenya claims that couples living as husband and wife, but without a marriage certificate, will have to pay KSh2,500 (US$16) every month.
The graphic features a photo of interior minister Kithure Kindiki and attributes the quote to him. It is dated 8 November 2023.
The quote started circulating online after the country’s interior ministry increased fees for several government services.
On 14 November, Kindiki revoked the legal notice announcing the new charges and introduced lower interim charges from 1 January 2024.
There are no fees for spouses without a marriage certificate in the new fee proposal.
The graphic was also published here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But did Kindiki say that couples without marriage certificates would be charged monthly? We checked.
Ignore fake graphic
Africa Check searched Google for Kindiki's quote and came up empty.
Such a statement would be widely reported in the Kenyan media, as the sharp fee increases are a much-discussed topic in the country.
We did find a graphic with the same photo of Kindiki and the exact date, but with a different font and text to the one circulating online.
The graphic, published by Citizen TV, a Kenyan broadcaster, has text that reads: “National ID replacement to cost Sh2,000 from Sh100 and Sh1,000 for a not previously registered ID, Interior CS Kindiki says.”
The original text on the graphic is on a blue background. The fabricated graphic has a green background on a blue cover.
On 17 November, Africa Check contacted Francis Gachuri, the head of communications at the interior ministry. He said the post was fake.
He shared the same graphic – stamped "FAKE" – in a Whatsapp message.
The graphic is fake.
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