Social media reports indicating that Chief Justice Martha Koome and the new Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome are relatives are MISLEADING.
Ahead of his swearing-in as the fourth inspector general of police under the 2010 constitution, a section of Kenyans took to their social media accounts to claim the CJ was going to administer her husband’s oath.
One such Kenyan who made that allegation is @kasyoki_buddy.
He took to Twitter and stated:
“Chief Justice Martha Koome will today preside over the Swearing of her husband Eng. Japheth Koome as the next IG of the National Police Service at State House Nairobi. It's coming home.”
The fact checker has, however, established that the reports are not true.
Speaking shortly after his swearing-in on Friday, November 11, 2022, IG Koome clarified that he is not related to the CJ.
"Once in a while, I look at social media when I want to follow on gossip going on. Last night there was a talk on social media that Koome will be sworn in by Koome… Interesting discussion...I have no blood relationship with the CJ. It's only that she is married to one Koome Kiragu and I am Koome Japhet," he said.
In her speech, CJ Koome thanked the new IG for the clarification.
She said the name Koome is loved among the Meru people because it means one who is clever.
According to the CJ, the name is an equivalent of "Wafula, Onyango, Wafula and Mohamed" in other communities since they are very common the way Koome is common in the Meru community.
This fact check was produced by The Star Newspaper with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck, African Fact-Checking Alliance Network, and the United Nations Development Program.
