A screengrab of a gazette notice shared on X on October 11, 2024, claiming that President William Ruto had appointed Charlene Ruto as the new chairperson to the National Mining Corporation has been altered. 

The accompanying post reads, “ President William Ruto has appointed his daughter Charlene Ruto as the New Chairperson National Mining Corporation. We don’t have a country here.”

The gazette notice was similarly shared on other X accounts. 

To determine the authenticity of the document, Woman Kenya Network reviewed the official Gazette Notice issued on October 3, 2024. The original gazette notice confirmed the three-year appointment of Joseph Kipchumba Lagat as the chairperson of the National Mining Corporation.

Further, the Ministry of Blue Economy, Mining, and Maritime Affairs, through its  X account, flagged the screengrab as fake. 

The ministry dismissed the reported appointment and clarified that Joseph Lagat is the correctly appointed chairperson of the National Mining Corporation. 

Further, Charlene Ruto, in a post on her X page, dismissed the notice, calling it fake and urging people to avoid spreading misinformation. 

She wrote, “Guys..c’mon…seriously?? Tuwache fake news! And looks like this doesn’t know @WilliamRuto. He believes in giving equal, fair, and transparent leadership opportunities to as many Kenyans as possible, so trust me, this he would not do. Na mining tena? Not even youth? Or agriculture? Just so you know it is really fake! Wacha niendeleze @typn_i na @smachs_org…I didn’t wait for anyone to give me an appointment or position. I am creating my own path. Plus…my name is Chelagat, not Chelangat. Don’t support this propaganda!”

The clarification of the correct appointment was also reported on local media outlets such as Capital FM, Kenyans.co.ke, and The Star. 

Woman Kenya looked into a screengrab claiming that Charlene Ruto had been appointed as the New Chairperson to the National Mining Corporation through a gazette notice and found it to be altered. 

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).

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.

The post ALTERED: Charlene Ruto is not the National Mining Corporation chairperson  appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.

This image on X (formerly Twitter) of a gazette notice claiming that Kenyan President William Ruto has appointed Charlene Ruto as the chairperson of the National Mining Corporation (NMC) has been ALTERED.

President Ruto has a daughter named Charlene. The claim image, a screengrab of a gazette notice showing Charlene’s name highlighted, accompanies a post partly in Kiswahili and reads: “Rigathi Gachagua was Tribal and corrupt, so he must go home and many other stories. Is this not Charlene Ruto whose father has fixed here? She also run(sic) other government tenders.”

The image, also shared here and here, purportedly shows an appointment made by Ruto on 3 October 2024.

However, the image is not accurate.

A review of the image shows that the font used on Charlene’s name is different from the font used in the rest of the document.

PesaCheck further reviewed the 3 October notice, published on the Kenya Law website, which carries a record of all gazette notices, and established that the image under scrutiny had been altered to include Charlene’s name.

In the original notice, Ruto appointed Joseph Kipchumba Lagat as the NMC chair for three years, effective 4 October 2024.

The gazette also lists other appointments reported here.

Moreover, a keyword search revealed that no such appointment by the president was reported by credible media.

Charlene also dismissed the claim in an X post on 11 October 2024.

PesaCheck has looked into an image on X of a gazette notice claiming that President William Ruto has appointed Charlene Ruto as the chairperson of the National Mining Corporation (NMC) and found it to be ALTERED.

This post was first published on the PesaCheck website. It is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.

By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organizations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. They do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.

The post ALTERED: This notice claiming Charlene Ruto was appointed as National Mining Corporation chairperson is doctored appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.

The second-born daughter of President William Ruto has also been a strong advocate for technological proficiency and engagement among the youth. The award scheme recognizes individuals, brands, companies, and businesses that have an online presence and are creating an impact through their online visibility.

The Government of Kenya launched a ten-year Information Communication Technology Digital Master plan for 2022-2023 to enhance the country’s digital economy. The Master plan identifies the key pillars as driving digital innovation for entrepreneurship and digital skills, digital infrastructure and digital services and data management,

Charlene Ruto’s digital participation is undeniable. On her Twitter page, she describes herself as “First Daughter of Kenya, daughter of President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto, Youth Champion and Climate Change Action Champion.” 

She’s also running campaigns to empower youth in agribusiness and anti-FGM campaigns among others. The youth mobilizer believes in transformative and agenda-driven leadership.

Charlene, a bee keeper and farmer is the most visible, daughter of President William Ruto. She is a Co-director of Matiny LTD which has minority shares at Weston Hotel. Charlene Ruto is the Head of Public Relations and Branding at Weston Hotel.

The post CHARLENE RUTO RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS DIGITAL AWARD appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.