Infographic wrongly shows Odinga beaten in four Western Kenya counties in 2013

The graphic, featuring the logo of Kenyan newspaper The Star, was published on Facebook on February 5, 2022, and has since been shared more than 100 times.

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Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on February 15, 2021

The graphic, also shared here, here and here on Facebook, has been used to suggest Mudavadi enjoys heightened popularity among voters in Western Kenya.

In the 2013 election, Odinga ran for office under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) while Mudavadi contested as an ANC candidate. 

The graphic circulating on Facebook claims to show how Mudavadi, viewed as a political kingpin in the region, beat Odinga in Busia, Trans Nzoia, Kakamega and Vihiga counties, while only losing to him in Bungoma.

This, however, is incorrect.

A numbers game

Kenya is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on August 9, 2022, with four-time presidential contender Odinga and deputy president William Ruto seen as front-runners in the race.

Ruto and Mudavadi are working together as “equal partners” in a coalition called Kenya Kwanza, but are yet to publicly announce who their new alliance’s presidential candidate will be. 

The five counties in Western Kenya are dominated by the Luhya community. Mudavadi, a Luhya, hails from Vihiga county.

However, IEBC data show that the results in the graphic were flipped, incorrectly favouring Mudavadi.

The data, found on pages 75-76 and 80-81 of the IEBC report, show that Odinga won in four of the five counties. Mudavadi only claimed victory in Vihiga, where he received 82,426 votes to Odinga’s 77,825.

The graphic was initially published by The Star newspaper on February 4, 2022. The local news organisation later corrected its report, issued an apology and took down the original online article.

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Screenshot showing The Star newspaper’s correction, taken February 15, 2022

An increasing amount of misinformation has spread in Kenya as the general elections draw nearer. AFP Fact Check has debunked claims linked to the polls here, here, and here.