Clip is doctored to give impression Niger PM accused Kenyan leader of ‘vote theft’

“Ruto rejected at Senegal summit,” reads the caption on the video, which was published on Twitter on January 26, 2022, and has been viewed more than 38,000 times.

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Screenshot showing the false tweet, taken on January 30, 2023

In the clip, Mahamadou is seen talking into a microphone while sitting next to Ruto. The two leaders were among African heads of state and development partners who met in Dakar, Senegal, from January 25-27 to discuss ways to increase Africa’s food production.

As Mahamadou speaks, we hear his alleged voice in the video say in English: "I want you to go back to your country and fix your country; the leader of opposition is crying hard that you stole his votes (sic)."

Ruto was declared winner of the Kenya's presidential ballot in August 2022 after narrowly beating veteran politician Odinga who challenged the outcome in court, alleging fraud.

But the Supreme Court upheld Ruto’s win, saying that there was no credible evidence of the alle.

Odinga has, however, refused to accept the verdict and continues to claim that Ruto’s administration is illegitimate. He has held two protest rallies where he called on his supporters to resist the president and his appointees.

The same video was also shared on TikTok and Facebook.

But Mahamadou did not lash out at Ruto at the Dakar summit.

Doctored video

Closer inspection shows the audio does not match his mouth movements.

The video’s original audio was digitally altered by adding an English voice. In the original clip, which is longer, Mahamadou speaks in French and explains his country’s rainfed food production strategy. He does not chastise Ruto.

Using the video verification tool InVid-WeVerify, AFP Fact Check found the original video on the Dakar 2 Summit website.

Four hours and 42 minutes into the nearly 10-hour video, Niger’s prime minister speaks for several minutes – but in French, not English.

His voice was stripped away and replaced with another man’s voice speaking in English in the clip that was shared on Twitter.

In the original video, Mahamadou does not chastise Ruto. An official English translation is available here (see 3-hour 58 minutes mark).

Rather, he talks about Niger’s 3N initiative, a food security policy aimed at combating hunger and poverty by enhancing sustainable agricultural development.

He explained that it focuses on sustainable agricultural practices such as harvesting rainwater during the rainy season through underground reservoirs and using it for irrigating crops throughout the year.

The three-day summit co-organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) urged African countries to boost their own food production capacity rather than relying on imports that have left them vulnerable to price spikes and shortages.