IN SHORT: A newspaper front page and graphics attributed to several news agencies claim that a Tifa poll shows Peter Kenneth as the preferred Mount Kenya leader. But the front page and graphics are fake and should be ignored.
An image of what appears to be the front page of Kenya’s Star newspaper has been posted online with the headline: “Peter Kenneth leads Rigathi in Mt. Kenya.”
The front page is dated 10 April 2024 and features a picture of Kenya’s former lawmaker Peter Kenneth.
The subheading reads: “TIFA poll shows Peter Kenneth is most popular to take over GEMA.”
The front page has also been posted on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) here, here, here, here and here.
Other examples of the same claim can be found as graphics here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. These posts are attributed to other Kenyan publications such as the Nation, Citizen Digital and Kenyans.co.ke.
Rigathi Gachagua is Kenya’s deputy president and hails from the Mount Kenya region.
There are 10 official Mount Kenya counties: Tharaka-Nithi, Meru, Nyeri, Laikipia, Nakuru, Murang’a, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Embu and Kirinyaga.
Trends and Insights For Africa, or Tifa Research, is a Kenyan polling firm offering market, social and sports research.
For months, Mount Kenya has seen a battle for political supremacy. Leaders have been vying for control of the region's political power. The vote-rich region was instrumental in the current government’s victory in the 2022 elections.
But have these media houses reported Kenneth as the preferred leader in the region? We checked.
Flagged as fake
Africa Check looked through the Star's front page archive and found a different front page for 10 April. The authentic front page headline reads: “NTSA’s tough new school bus rules.”
On 10 April, the Star posted the circulating front page and graphic on its social media accounts, with the word “fake” printed in red.
“Beware of fake news! Our real copies are uploaded everyday on http://mgazeti.com from 10pm,” the publication said.
Tifa also flagged the graphic as fake.
“Fake News Alert! The results attached are fake. Don't be misled. For authentic polls, visit our official website http://tifaresearch.com #FactCheck #StayInformed,” the research firm said.
The front page and graphics circulating on social media are fake and should be disregarded.
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