FACT CHECK: Photo of Ruto 'opposing' his 2022 presidential bid is fake

A viral image has emerged showing Deputy President William Ruto visiting a shop with a message that 'mocks' his 2022 presidential bid.

The image shows the DP in the company of Bumula MP Mwambu Mabonga in front of a shop with an inscribed message that reads, “Ruto will never be President”.

Despite some believing the validity of this image, the Star sought to establish the picture's origin and concluded it is a fake and is actually a doctored version of a separate picture.

Data from CrowdTangle, Facebook’s public insights tool, shows the post has been shared dozens of times, attracting thousands of reactions.

A reverse image search reveals that the photo is barely two weeks old and has been photo-shopped.

Among those who shared is a Facebook user Amb Hon Paul Wachira.

The original image has been proven to be a picture of Ruto in Bungoma County in September where he was attending a church service in Bumula constituency.

The image was taken by the Deputy President Press Service with the only details conflicting between the original image and the doctored being a tag on the shops’ barrier.

In the original photo, the tag gives details on how the customer can pay using their mobile phones.

However, in the second image, the payment details have been manipulated to read “Ruto will never be President”

Local news platforms used a series of images to report the Bumula visit which came in the midst of regulations limiting public gatherings as part of coronavirus restriction.

The intention of the fake inscribed message is believed to have been satire, and probably provocation to DP supporters.

A follow up by the Star on the DPs Twitter handle also shows a series of photos, on the same event leading to the photo in question.

In the photos dated September 27 DP’s tweet reads, “Enjoyed a bottle of soda with fellow hustlers at Mama Mary’s Ebenezer shop after a Sunday service in Bumula. May God bless Mama Mary’s hustle”. 

This story was produced by The Star in partnership with Code for Africa’s iLAB data journalism programme, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.