Ugandan president shares misleading New Zealand photo in tweet on Rwenzori mountains

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on December 20, 2022 at 13:44
  • Updated on December 20, 2022 at 13:44
  • 3 min read
  • By Mary KULUNDU, AFP Kenya

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Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni recently tweeted an image of a scenic mountain capped with snow and claimed it showed the country’s beautiful Rwenzori mountains, which include Africa’s third highest peak. But this was misleading; the image was taken more than 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles) away in New Zealand’s Hooker Valley. The president's tweet was later deleted.

Museveni posted his tweet on December 14, 2022, saying that in two recent speeches he made in the UK and US, he highlighted the beauty of Uganda, in particular the “marvel” of the Rwenzori mountains. Alongside the tweet, he added a picture of snow-capped peaks.

“In both my speeches in London, UK on Monday and the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC today. I have continued to highlight the unique beauty of Uganda, the marvel of Rwenzori and the good high-altitude climate. That is why you find permanent snow on the Equator,” wrote Museveni.

His post was retweeted more than 500 times before it was deleted.

A screenshot of the deleted tweet, taken on December 15, 2022

Comments about the tweet were divided, with some Twitter users believing the image showed Uganda’s Rwenzori mountains.

A search on Facebook of the keywords “Rwenzori mountains” revealed posts that have used the same image with claims it shows the peaks located in western Uganda (see here, here and here).

Additionally, a Google search showed multiple travel companies using the image in the same context (see here and here).

However, the mountains in the picture are not found in Uganda.

A continent away

A reverse image search using TinEye located an image of the same peaks (but taken from a higher angle) available on Alamy Stock Photo and Shutterstock, credited to photographer Eakkapan Asavapanumas.

According to the picture’s metadata, it was taken in 2014 in New Zealand, in Hooker Valley near Canterbury on the South Island.

Screenshots showing New Zealand's Hooker Valley in photos on Shutterstock (left) and Alamy (right)

Details match in both photos: the skyline formed at the top of the mountain, the formation of the snow caps, the river and the shadows cast on the mountain.

Many other photos of Hooker Valley show the exact same skyline. These include photos tagged to Hooker Valley in Google Maps.

Google Earth Pro's 3D terrain mapping for Hooker Valley also turns up the same ridges.

Screenshot showing New Zealand's Hooker Valley as seen in Google Earth Pro's 3D terrain reconstruction

The Hooker Valley track is the most popular hiking trail in Mount Cook National Park, which includes the highest peak in New Zealand, standing 3,724 metres above sea level.

Uganda's Rwenzori mountains are also a popular tourist destination and are well-known for their unique alpine flora.

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