As campaigns for the Kibra constituency seat in Kenya’s parliament enter the homestretch, the candidates’ supporters have taken their battle to social media.
The by-election for the vacant seat is slated for 7 November 2019.
Candidates have been fronted by the ruling Jubilee Party and the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, Amani National Congress and Ford Kenya.
Deputy president William Ruto has visited Kibra several times to drum up support for McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee Party’s candidate.
But not all the photos their supporters have shared on social media actually show the politicians’ reception in the constituency.
One user has posted a photo of a huge crowd with the claim it shows members of the Kamba community meeting Ruto and Mariga in Kibra.
“William Samoei Ruto and Hon Mariga meeting the Kamba Community this morning,” the caption reads.
“Wakamba wote tumesema Mariga tosha. [Kiswahili for ‘We the Kambas are behind Mariga.’] One Word For The Kibra Mp and Nairobi Governor 2022.”
But a reverse image search reveals that the photo shows supporters of the Indian opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), snapped in 2014 by a Reuters photographer.
According to the caption, the crowd was at a rally addressed by Narendra Modi, a candidate for prime minister in India’s 2014 elections.
And there are clues to the fact that the photo doesn’t show a crowd at a political rally in Kibra.
The people in the massive crowd are light-skinned, while most of the people in Kibra are dark-skinned. More than this, the clothes they wear look a lot like the traditional mekhela chadors and dhoti commonly associated with the Indian community. – Dancan Bwire
The by-election for the vacant seat is slated for 7 November 2019.
Candidates have been fronted by the ruling Jubilee Party and the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, Amani National Congress and Ford Kenya.
Deputy president William Ruto has visited Kibra several times to drum up support for McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee Party’s candidate.
But not all the photos their supporters have shared on social media actually show the politicians’ reception in the constituency.
One user has posted a photo of a huge crowd with the claim it shows members of the Kamba community meeting Ruto and Mariga in Kibra.
“William Samoei Ruto and Hon Mariga meeting the Kamba Community this morning,” the caption reads.
“Wakamba wote tumesema Mariga tosha. [Kiswahili for ‘We the Kambas are behind Mariga.’] One Word For The Kibra Mp and Nairobi Governor 2022.”
Rally in India
But a reverse image search reveals that the photo shows supporters of the Indian opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), snapped in 2014 by a Reuters photographer.
According to the caption, the crowd was at a rally addressed by Narendra Modi, a candidate for prime minister in India’s 2014 elections.
Clues the photo doesn't show crowds in Kenya
And there are clues to the fact that the photo doesn’t show a crowd at a political rally in Kibra.
The people in the massive crowd are light-skinned, while most of the people in Kibra are dark-skinned. More than this, the clothes they wear look a lot like the traditional mekhela chadors and dhoti commonly associated with the Indian community. – Dancan Bwire
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