Kenya: No, Kenyan Lawmaker Wanyama Didn’t Say National Assembly Speaker Wetang’ula Unfit for Office

No, Kenyan lawmaker Wanyama didn’t say national assembly speaker Wetang’ula unfit for office

IN SHORT: A graphic quoting Kenyan lawmaker Daniel Wanyama questioning national assembly speaker Moses Wetang’ula’s ability to perform his duties effectively is circulating on Facebook. But it is fake.

A graphic doing the rounds on social media in Kenya attributes a quote to Kenyan lawmaker Daniel Wanyama.

In the graphic, Wanyama appears to question the suitability of Kenya’s national assembly speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, to hold office.

“You all know Speaker Moses Wetangula is barred from visiting some foreign countries, limiting his role, causing conflict, and hurting our foreign relations. That’s why we want a Speaker who can move freely,” the graphic reads.

It features the logo of the digital news outlet Kenyans.co.ke, implying that they published it.

Wanyama is a member of parliament for Webuye West constituency, Bungoma county, in western Kenya.

The graphic appears to be part of a campaign of misinformation and disinformation targeting Wetang’ula at a time when deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is fighting his impeachment in court.

Kenyan senators and members of the national assembly voted to impeach Gachagua, accusing him of corruption and undermining president William Ruto’s government. Wetang’ula led the impeachment proceedings against Gachagua in the national assembly.

Some social media users have speculated that after Gachagua’s impeachment, Wetang’ula is next.

The claims about Wetang’ula’s replacement appear to have originated in a viral social media post, which Africa Check has debunked. The false post claimed that Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga, was offered money and government positions, including speaker of the national assembly, to support Gachagua’s impeachment.

The post claimed that Odinga had forwarded Otiende Amollo’s name for the position of national assembly speaker. Amollo is a member of parliament for Rarieda constituency, Siaya county, in western Kenya.

The graphic in question came a year after local media reported that Ruto called for a merger of parties that formed Kenya Kwanza. Led by Ruto, Kenya Kwanza is an alliance of political parties that defeated Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition in the August 2022 elections.

Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya party, which is part of the alliance, insists it won’t fold. However, the Amani National Congress party, linked to prime cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi, has approved the merger. Wetang’ula and Mudavadi are close allies of Ruto from western Kenya.

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But is the graphic legit? We checked.

Another fake graphic

There are no news reports that Wetang’ula has been banned from travelling to foreign countries. This is the first red flag.

We compared the circulating graphic to a genuine one by Kenyans.co.ke and noted that the font style differed significantly.

Kenyans.co.ke often posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Africa Check searched for the graphic on the accounts and came up empty.

On 24 October 2024, the media outlet posted the circulating graphic on social media, with the word “fake” printed on it.

“This post did not emanate from our media house. We flag it as FAKE. For official communication from kenyans.co.ke, always visit the official website and verified social media pages,” it cautioned its readers.

The graphic is fake and should be ignored.

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