IN SHORT: A screenshot of what appears to be the popular Corridors of Power column from the Star newspaper claims that a former Kenyan deputy president is “running scared” after two Rift Valley leaders united. It is fake, and the Star has denied publishing it.
An image circulating on social media claims that a former Kenyan deputy president is “running scared” after two leaders from the Rift Valley region united.
The image appears to show the print version of Corridors of Power, a popular political gossip column in the Kenyan newspaper the Star.
It features a photo of Kenya’s former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and the headline: “SHAKEN CIRCLES AS RIFT LEADERS UNITE.”
The column, posted on X in October 2025, reads: “Is a senior party leader and former Deputy President running scared after the recent political developments in which two senior leaders from the Rift Valley united? The leader is said to have told his allies that this move could weaken the united opposition and complicate the 2027 matrix.”
Gachagua was impeached in October 2024 on charges of corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining the government.
Kenya’s politics are heating up ahead of the 2027 general election, with intense speculation about new alliances, especially in the influential Rift Valley region.
The graphic began circulating days after Kenyan president William Ruto hosted former Baringo senator Gideon Moi at State House in Nairobi. The two leaders also met at Kabarak on 10 October 2025.
Since both leaders are from the Rift Valley, their meetings triggered widespread online discussion that they might be rebuilding a political alliance.
The timing of the circulating screenshot exploits these developments to suggest that their reconciliation had shaken political opponents.
But did the Star’s Corridors of Power column report this? We checked.
Fake column
Corridors of Power is known for its short, anonymously written pieces of political gossip. It usually does not include photos of the subjects of a story. Therefore, the image circulating online is inconsistent with how the column typically appears in print.
A search of the Star’s website found no such story, and nothing was published on its verified X and Facebook accounts, where the column is normally promoted.
Instead, the Star flagged the image through its social media accounts, stamping it “FAKE”.
“If it is not on our official pages, it is FAKE! Get the real copy by visiting mgazeti.com,” the paper wrote.
The circulating column is fake.
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