PHOTO: [COURTESY]
The video is of Addis Ababa protests in September 2018.
This post on X (formerly Twitter) with a video claiming to show the NaneNane march in Kenya is false.
The August 8 post reads, “Wueh..Energy Energy.AMPLIFY. Inject💉💉#NanenaneMarch #NaneNane Opiyo Wandayi Nairobi CBD Thika Road Ruiru Moi Avenue HAPPENING NOW #RutoMustGo.”
The post was accompanied by a video showing a huge crowd chanting as they marched through the streets.
The NaneNane march followed nationwide protests in Kenya in June and July 2024 which erupted in response to the now-withdrawn Finance Bill 2024. The youth-led movement eventually morphed into a broader movement against bad governance with a one million people mega protest dubbed ‘NaneNane March’ slotted for 8 August. Aside from bad governance, the demonstrators also demanded accountability for police brutality, killings, and abductions.
To determine the clip’s authenticity, WOKN conducted a reverse search image on Google which revealed that the clip had also been widely shared during the June 25, 2024, Anti-Finance Bill protests popularly known by the hashtags #RejectFinanceBill2024 and #OccupyParliament. The clip then resurfaced during the Nanenane March on multiple X accounts.
The reverse search also led to an Instagram post dated April 4, 2024, captioned “Join us in raising our voices to halt the demolition in Addis Ababa 💔 Let’s stand together against genocide and forced displacement in Addis Ababa and across Ethiopia. It’s time to demand justice and protect our communities.✊🏾 #StopGenocide #Ethiopia #Africa Unite”
A deeper dive using keyword searches led us to a YouTube video with the same footage as in the post under scrutiny published on September 20, 2018, titled ”Addis Ababa protest”.
According to reports, thousands of Ethiopians took to the capital’s streets on September 17, 2018, in response to the ethnic killings of 23 people(page 32) in Addis Ababa’s outskirts. The demonstrations challenged Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, whose reform efforts, including tightening security, have come under intense scrutiny.
Woman Kenya Network investigated a post on X(formerly Twitter) with a video claiming to show the NaneNane march in Kenya and found it 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 program, 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.
Our platforms have become a trusted and reliable source of information on gender-sensitive content covering diverse thematic areas including Politics, Climate, Peace and Security, Gender Justice, Health, Economic Empowerment, and SRHR as guided by SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. We use the media to advocate for gender equality, promote just portrayal, and amplify women’s voices in society.
