Amid ongoing tensions between Kenyan church leaders and President William Ruto, a video has resurfaced online claiming that the late Daniel arap Moi, the country’s second president and a member of the same ethnic community as Ruto, is being initiated into Freemasonry. In Kenya, Freemasonry has long been associated with devil worship, in a country where more than 80% of the population identifies as Christian. But the statement is false; the video dates from 1980 and shows Moi being invested as a Knight of the Grace of the Order of St. John, a global charity unrelated to Freemasonry.
On October 15, 2024, a clip showing Moi in a black cloak walking with others in similar attire during what appears to be an inauguration ceremony was shared on Toroitoch (Toroitich) Arap Moi, initiated into the Freemasons.”
Freemasonry is an ancient, worldwide brotherhood that traditionally practices secret rituals. The members deny that there is anything harmful about their habits.
A screenshot of the fake X-post, taken on November 26, 2024
The claim was repeated here and here on X.
For years, churches in Kenya have associated Freemasonry with devil worship, sparking widespread distrust.
In 1994, Moi set up a commission of inquiry into cult and devil worship in the East African country.
This is not the first time the video has been used to spread disinformation, but its resurgence comes as Ruto faces backlash from church leaders over allegations of cheating, heavy taxes, corruption and broken promises (archived here).
One X-post linked Ruto to Moi’s alleged induction into Freemasonry.
‘Okay, is this true that Moi was accepted into Freemasonry? Then that Sugoi trader [referring to Ruto] is no different,” the caption reads.
A screenshot of the fake X-post, taken on November 27, 2024
Last year, the same video was shared in posts praising Ruto for steering Kenya towards becoming a “holy nation”, reportedly in contrast to Moi.
“I would like to congratulate President Ruto for leading Kenya to the holy nation. Former President Moi was the founder of the Freemasons. The video below shows the swearing-in ceremony in 1988 and the Masonic Hall in Eldoret, near Moi Girls, was built in the same year (sick),” reads the 2023 X-post.
A screenshot of the fake X-post, taken on November 27, 2024
During the 2022 presidential election, Ruto’s search for evangelical leaders allowed him to tap into the Christian vote (archived here).
Until recently, he enjoyed strong support from religious leaders, but that began to falter after General Z-led anti-tax protests accused the church of providing a platform for politicians while failing to hold them accountable for their missteps.
The same video also made the rounds on X in 2020 (here and here) when Kenyans gathered in Parliament to view Moi’s body during the national mourning period.
“All Kenyans, whether in Kabarak, Nairobi or anywhere else in the country, can now watch Moi’s initiation into the Masonic Society,” reads the caption on one of the posts.
A screenshot of the fake X-post, taken on November 27, 2024
Moi, who remains the country’s longest-serving leader, died on February 4, 2020 at the age of 95.
But the images do not show Moi being accepted into Freemasonry.
Unrelated video
Using InVID-WeVerify to perform a reverse image search of keyframes from the footage, we traced the original clip to the British Pathé website, which archives old newsreels.
The original images are credited to Reuters news agency (archived here).
A screenshot of the British Pathé website, taken on November 29, 2024
The caption explains that the footage shows Moi being appointed a Knight of Grace of the Order of St. John at the presidential residence in Nairobi on March 18, 1980.
“At the inauguration ceremony, President Moi was presented with a mantle that symbolized the duty to act in defense of the Christian faith and in the service of the poor, sick and suffering (sick),” reads part of the caption.
The Order of St. John was founded around 1070 to care for pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem (archived here).
Today the Christian organisation, which is registered as a charity in England, provides ambulance services, first aid training and emergency medical care in various parts of the world. It is a Royal Order of Chivalry of the British Crown and awards various honors and awards.
Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist are considered patron saints of both the Order of Saint John and the Freemasons.
However, the Order of St. John is not linked to Freemasonry.
