The Kenya Finance Bill 2024 commenced its first reading in Parliament on May 13, 2024. Some of the Bill’s proposals created rage, confusion, and triggered protests largely made up of Gen Z and millennials that sought to reject the Bill in its totality through the #RejectFinanceBill2024 and #occupyparliament movement. These events also resulted in the rise of false information online.
Notably a quote attributed to Kitui South Member of Parliament Rachel Nyamai who belongs to Jubilee Party, one of the parties in the opposition. The purported quote was allegedly published by Nation Africa on July 1, 2024. According to the graphic, Hon Rachel Nyamai claimed that they received KSh2,000,000 from President William Ruto to support the Finance Bill as claimed by Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi.
The post was also shared here amidst the Gen-Z-led Anti-Finance bill protests happening in Kenya.
Investigations by Woman Kenya Network have revealed that the graphic is fake.
A close analysis of the graphic challenges editorial standards and format typically used by the media house. The Nation Africa logo on legitimate digital cards is bold and compact unlike the one used on the image. The text is also well-spaced and not cramped like in the image we are investigating.
A typical post by Nation shared on their Facebook page shows that there is visibly a significant difference between the font type and size on the graphic under our scrutiny and Nation’s regular digital cards. In terms of format and house style, Nation Africa designs dates on the top right side of the posters; not the left side as illustrated on the fake graphic.
Comparison between the fake digital card and a legitimate digital card by Nation Africa.
Further, the purported image is conspicuously missing from Nation Africa’s verified social media platforms. The media house instead flagged the graphic we are investigating as fake.
Additionally, Hon. Rachel Nyamai flagged the photo as fake on her X platform. The circulating image of Hon. Rachel Nyamai claiming that MPs were given KSh 2 million by President William Ruto to pass the finance bill is FALSE and contributes to misinformation, potentially misleading the public about parliamentary actions and funding.
This fact-check was written by Woman Kenya Network fact-checker Priscillah Kimani and edited by Woman Kenya Project Lead Shadrack Agamira.
This fact-check was produced by Woman Kenya Network, under the African Fact-Checking Incubator programme, with support from PesaCheck, Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, and the African Fact Checking Alliance(AFCA).
Woman Kenya Network is a distinguished digital media company committed to advancing gender equality and promoting the equitable participation of women and girls in society. Launched in 2018, WOKN has grown into a fully-fledged digital media platform with a vibrant social media presence on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
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