Video shows Tanzanian politicians at a funeral, not Kenyan MPs hiding after deadly protests
- Published on July 18, 2024 at 17:10
- 3 min read
- By Mary KULUNDU, AFP Kenya
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On July 5, 2024, a Facebook post shared a video showing men in suits and two women eating outside in the middle of what looks like a plantation. Some Swahili chatter can be heard in the background.
“Hello! What is going on here...Kenyan MPs hiding from Gen Zs (sic),” reads the caption.
Last month, young Kenyans -- many from "Generation Z" -- led peaceful rallies against proposed tax hikes contained in the Finance Bill 2024, but the demonstrations turned violent, prompting President William Ruto to drop the contentious legislation (archived here).
The same claim was repeated on Facebook, X (here and here) as well as TikTok (here and here).
The video also had more than half a million views on this Nigerian X account, which called on youths from the West African nation to emulate their Kenyan peers.
“Kenyan parliamentarians, after running for their lives ended up eating in the bush,” reads part of the caption.
According to reports, the Kenyan rallies have inspired Nigerians to replicate the movement in their own country (archived here).
Post circulating online claim protests in Nigeria will kick off in August (see here and here).
In Kenya, the unrest has spiralled into a campaign against Ruto’s administration and what people say is bad governance, corruption and police brutality.
But the video does not show Kenyan politicians taking refuge from protesters.
Tanzanian funeral
Using video verification tool InVID-WeVerify, we conducted reverse image searches on multiple keyframes and located an X post containing the same video.
It was published by Tanzanian political activist James Mbowe on June 1, 2024, about three weeks before Kenyan protesters broke into the country’s parliamentary complex.
According to the caption, the video was taken at a funeral for the father of Tanzanian MP Silvestry Koka.
Jana tulishiriki Ibada ya Mwisho ya Mzee Francis Koka (104) Baba Mzazi wa Mh Koka Mbunge wa Kibaha mjini.
— James Mbowe (@JamesMbowe4) June 1, 2024
Ibada hii ilifanyika Kijiji cha Mkolowonyi Marangu. Mzee Francis amemaliza Safari yake ya hapa Duniani akiwa na Umri wa Miaka 104. Hakika tunamshukuru sana Mungu kwa Zawadi… pic.twitter.com/GS2LpmQiYV
Contacted by AFP Fact Check, Mbowe said: “I recorded the video using my phone, trying to show the culture of the Chagga tribe to eat under the banana trees. There were powerful people at the funeral, including Freeman Mbowe, who embraced the tradition.”
AFP Fact Check identified opposition party leader Freeman Mbowe and MP David Mathayo.
James Mbowe confirmed that he was aware of the video’s misrepresentation.
“That's complete distortion. That's Kilimanjaro scene,” he said, referring to the northern Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania.
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