PHOTO [COURTESY]
The video is of Tanzanian MPs having lunch after a burial in Tanzania.
This video on TikTok claiming to show Kenyan members of parliament eating in the bush is false.
The video was posted by a Nigerian TikTok user on July 6, 2024 and shows individuals in suits eating in an open area surrounded by plantation. Text on the video reads: “Last minute in Kenya! The parliamentarians take refuge in the bush for dinner🤣🤣” while another caption at the bottom of the clip reads: “Kenyan members of the Parliament ran inside bush for safety.
The video was also shared on Facebook and X(formerly Twitter).
The video was shared amidst anti-Finance Bill protests during which demonstrators stormed Parliament on June 25, 2024. Members of parliament, who were in session to vote on the contentious Bill, had to flee for safety as protestors breached the building. Chaos ensued as part of the structure was set on fire, and several protestors were shot outside Parliament.
However, it does not show Kenyan MPs eating in the bush in fear of protestors.
To determine the authenticity of the footage, WOKN conducted a reverse search image through keyframes using InVid-WeVerify and found that the video was posted on June 1, 2024 by James Mbowe, a Tanzanian activist. The clip was captured during the burial of Francis Koka, father to Kibaha Mjini MP, Silvestry Koka, which Tanzanian legislators attended. The post was also shared on his Instagram account.
The post accompanied by a video of the legislators eating in a plantation translates to: ”Yesterday we participated in the Last Service of Elder Francis Koka (104), Father of Mr. Koka, Member of Parliament for Kibaha in the city.This ceremony was held in Mkolowonyi Marangu Village. Mzee Francis has finished his journey here on Earth at the age of 104. We are truly grateful to God for the gift of a long life to Mzee Francis. Who even in his old age was still sane. May God rest the soul of his servant in the right place Amen.”
WOKN investigated the video allegedly showing Kenyan members of Parliament hiding in a bush to escape Anti-Finance Bill protestors and found it to be false.
This fact-check was written by Woman Kenya Network fact-checker Trizah Mmwanda 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).
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