This TikTok video claiming that Interior CS Kithure Kindiki hit out at President William Ruto after cabinet dissolution is false. 

The video is captioned: “See how Kindiki tells Ruto after Firing all Cabinet secretaries today. Now Kindiki amerudi upande wa wananchi.” It was shared after the cabinet was dissolved on 11 July 2024 and alleged that Kindiki had abandoned Ruto and joined the protesting citizens.

In the video, Kindiki states: “Hii nchi, hatuezi endelea namna hii, lazima tuchague kama tutarekebisha nchi yetu isiharibike zaidi…” This translates to: “This country, we can’t continue like this, we have to choose whether we will fix our country so it doesn’t get more damaged…”

Kindiki’s purported speech was also reported here and here as an accurate depiction of events following the dismissal. 

The firing of cabinet secretaries came after unwavering protests in Kenya over the controversial 2024 Finance Bill which was later withdrawn. 

Woman Kenya Network investigated using a reverse Google image search that led to a video on the KenyaMoja.com website shared on 16 June 2023. The original video was posted on 15 June 2023 on KBC’s YouTube channel, more than a year before Ruto fired the cabinet.

In the original video, Kindiki congratulated good officers and warned rogue government officials involved in bribery and corruption. At this point, he remarks that the government is on the side of the people and not corrupt officials.

Notably, Kindiki’s shirt in the TikTok video is the same as in the news report, and the outdoor setting and dried vegetation behind him are the same.

Woman Kenya Network looked into the claim of Kindiki’s statements to the President after the dissolution of Cabinet and found it to be fake. 

This fact-check was written by Woman Kenya Network fact-checker Veronica Ondere and edited by Woman Kenya Shadrack Agamira.

This fact-check was produced by Woman Kenya Network (WOKN) 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).

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