Historic deposition
Last week, Kenya’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to impeach Gachagua on 11 charges, including corruption and abuse of office – charges the 59-year-old denied.
Members of the Senate approved the decision on October 17, sealing the first removal of a vice president from office since impeachment was introduced in Kenya’s 2010 revised constitution (archived here).
President William Ruto nominated his Home Minister as deputy leader
The move has divided sentiment in the country, with some lawmakers who supported the motion facing public backlash (archived here and here).
Public participation meetings revealed divisions over the motion, with some Kenyans calling for the ouster of both Gachagua and Ruto as the pair were elected together (archived here).
Although lawmakers, including Ichung’wa, have publicly expressed concerns about their safety following the impeachment motion, the claim about the statue is false.
Unrelated image
A reverse image search revealed that the photo was taken in August 2024 during an incident involving Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
According to local reports, Sakaja was chased away by traders from a market in the city that was destroyed by fire overnight. His security team tried to protect him from the stone-throwing crowd (archived here).
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and his entourage were pelted with stones during his visit to Toi Market in Kibera on Saturday morning following a fire incident. pic.twitter.com/qrgRHUbDra
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) August 3, 2024
A video report from KTN News titled “Governor Sakaja Chased Away by Angry Residents at Toi Market” captured the same scene shared in the fake post (archived here).
The director of news site Tuko.co.ke told AFP Fact Check that “malicious” users have used a template of their images to spread misinformation.
“In recent weeks we have received many such images with our logo on them, which we have flagged as fake,” said Julia Majale.