A photo circulating on social media shows a high bridge supported by tall, narrow pillars in a green mountainous landscape.
Posts claim the photo shows an infamous black spot in Kenya’s Tharaka Nithi county called the Nithi bridge. The county is located in central Kenya, about 180 kilometres from the capital Nairobi.
The photo was also shared here and here. The posts have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times and have received a great deal of engagement.
Nithi bridge danger zone
The Nithi bridge, located on the Nairobi-Embu highway, has been a notorious black spot for fatal accidents since its construction in 1985. It is estimated that at least 71 people have died in accidents on this stretch of road from April 2018 to date. A steep descent and sharp bends make it particularly dangerous for drivers.
Successive administrations have promised to redesign this dangerous stretch of road to prevent further accidents, but these promises have not been fulfilled. Both president William Ruto and his 2022 general election rival Raila Odinga promised to fix the dangerous stretch of road if elected.
Ruto promised to start redesigning the bridge within six months of taking office. The 2023 transport minister also promised to redesign the bridge, but this has yet to happen.
An accident on 31 August 2024 claimed 12 lives. This led to renewed calls for urgent safety measures on the stretch. Following the accident, deputy president Rigathi Gachagua reassured the public that plans to redesign the bridge were nearing completion.
Around the time of the latest accident, the photo in question began circulating on social media with claims that it was of Nithi bridge.
Is this the case?
Circulating photo shows bridge in China
Using Google Maps, Africa Check compared images of Nithi bridge with the viral photo. The detailed street view and various online photos and videos show that the Nithi bridge looks very different from the one in the viral image. It is not as long or as high as the bridge in the photo.
We did a reverse image search and found that the viral photo had been shared online before. It was identified as a bridge on the Xuguang Expressway in China.
We also found the exact video from where this photo was taken, as it shows the same traffic on the road. The road is also known as the G0421 expressway and connects the cities of Xuchang and Guangzhou.
There are several bridges or viaducts along this road. The bridge in the viral photo closely resembles the Dubu Number 2 Elevated Bridge, which partially curves around a mountain.
Other photos confirm that the image in question is of this bridge in China, not the Nithi bridge in Kenya.
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