A post shared on X (formerly Twitter) claiming to show a Kenyan protester hitting a teargas canister using a tennis racket during the 18 June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations is FALSE.

The attached image is of a person in a black hoodie, hat, shades, gas mask, dark green trousers, and blue shoes, holding a tennis racket, poised to hit a teargas canister mid-air.

The image, shared on 18 June 2024, is accompanied by the text, “Kenyan Gen Z Captain returning a teargas canister back to the sender! When it rains, it pours. #RejectFinanceBill2024”.

But was the image captured during Kenya’s anti-Finance Bill 2024 demonstrations on 18 June 2024?

A Google reverse search shows that the photo was captured in Nantes, France, during protests against the government’s proposed labour law reforms on 2 June 2016. The photo is credited to Stephane Mahe from Reuters.

The photo was also published here and here.

A section of Kenyans, described by the media as young people, protested against the 2024 Finance Bill in Nairobi on 18 June 2024. The demonstrations continued on 19 and 20 June, with protesters calling the bill “punitive.” Anti-riot police dispersed crowds with teargas and water cannons. The protests were marked with casualties, injuries, and arrests.

PesaCheck has looked into a post shared on X claiming to show a photo of a Kenyan protester hitting a teargas canister using a tennis racket during the 18 June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations and found it to be FALSE.

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 organisations 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 FALSE: This image of a protester hitting a teargas canister using a tennis racket was not captured in Kenya appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.

This 6 June 2024 edition of The Standard newspaper, with a splash headline claiming the Kenyan government has introduced a socialite tax, has been ALTERED.

The cover alleges that the purpose of the tax, scheduled to take effect from June 2024 to June 2025, is to curb prostitution in the country.

“Government introduces socialite 16% tax,” reads the purported headline.

To verify the authenticity of the newspaper cover, PesaCheck reviewed The Standard e-paper database and searched for the 6 June 2024 edition. The said newspaper’s edition has a different headline.

“Ruto takes over Raila’s AU job bid,” reads the headline on the authentic newspaper cover.

The newspaper cover, also shared on The Standard’s social media pages, features an image of opposition leader Raila Odinga next to the splash headline.

Below the main headline is a paragraph about how the Kenyan government joined a campaign for Odinga’s African Union Commission chairmanship bid.

However, all other short stories at the bottom, top, and extreme right of the cover are identical in the authentic and altered covers.

To further confirm the cover’s authenticity, PesaCheck contacted Andrew Kagwa, the operations editor at The Standard Group PLC, who confirmed it was not legitimate.

“This is NOT authentic,” Kagwa told us via email.

The Standard Group PLC audio visual managing editor Anthony Makokha equally told PesaCheck in a text message that “it’s (the cover) not legit. It’s fake”.

A Google keyword search shows that no credible news outlet reported on the introduction of a 16 per cent socialite tax.

The newspaper cover has been circulating amid discussions about the Finance Bill 2024 and its proposed taxes. However, the “socialite tax” is not one of the taxes proposed in the bill.

PesaCheck has looked into The Standard’s cover dated 6 June 2024, with a splash headline claiming that the Kenyan government has introduced a socialite tax, 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 organisations 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 headline on Kenya introducing a socialite tax was not published by The Standard appeared first on Woman Kenya Network.