Edited video of ex-Kenyan deputy president shared after AUC election result

Support from Kenyan President William Ruto was not enough to stave off defeat for veteran politician Raila Odinga when his bid to become chairman of the African Union Commission (AUC) fell short following last month’s leadership elections in Ethiopia. A video shared on TikTok purports to show Ruto's former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, who was impeached and removed from office last year, delivering a “shocking” reaction to Odinga’s defeat. But the footage was edited; the original video, from 2021, shows Gachagua talking about then-president Uhuru Kenyatta’s endorsement of Odinga for the 2022 presidential election. Contrary to the claim, Gachagua expressed solidarity with Odinga after his AUC defeat.

“Gachagua shocking message to Raila after losing AU job!! Raila stop crying I called it (sic),” read an English and Swahili text overlay on a TikTok video published on February 17, 2025.

Image

Screenshot of the altered post, taken on February 26, 2025

The video gives the impression that Gachagua is addressing Ruto about supporting Odinga in his failed bid to secure the chairmanship of the AUC.

“We respect the president, and let’s not blame him. He has done nothing wrong. If he has decided that the Raila who has hurt him all this time is preferable, it is his right...But we also want to ask him respectfully, the way we have respected your right to support Raila, respect our right to support [...],” Gachagua says.

The name of the person he talks about supporting is blanked out.

“And if we respect you to push Raila and you respect us to push [...] we will respect each other because you are a Kenyan and a human being,” Gachagua adds. Again, the name is edited out.

Gachagua adds that “the president” should not impose his choice on others.

The clip ends with Gachagua challenging the unnamed individual to meet him at the polls.

Odinga -- with Ruto’s backing -- contested the AUC seat but lost to Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf after the vote held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 15, 2025 (archived here).

However, the TikTok video purportedly showing Gachagua reacting to Odinga’s defeat is doctored.

Old video

AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches on keyframes from the clip to find the original footage.

A section of the video was published on the YouTube channel of Kenyan media outlet Nation on August 12, 2021 (archived here).

Gachagua, a member of parliament at the time, was reportedly responding to then-president Uhuru Kenyatta’s support of Odinga in the 2022 presidential election.

From the video, AFP Fact Check established the name edited out of the TikTok video was Ruto’s. Gachagua was supporting Ruto at the time.

Image

Screenshot of Nation's video on YouTube captured on March 3, 2025.

Gachagua can be seen wearing the same checked blazer, blue shirt and tie in both videos.

The TikTok video also appears to have been inverted, as the black and green drapes in the background appear on opposite sides to the original footage.

Image

Screenshot comparing the altered video (left) and the original footage published by Nation

Shifting political alliances

Gachagua was Ruto’s running mate in the 2022 presidential election, with Odinga as their main opponent (archived here). 

The duo subsequently won the vote and took office, despite Odinga’s rejection of the election outcome which made him the country’s opposition leader (archived here).

Two years into office, however, a fallout between Gachagua and Ruto culminated in the impeachment of the former deputy president in October 2024 (archived here and here).

Contrary to the claim, Gachagua expressed solidarity with Odinga after his AUC defeat, lauding him for putting on “a brave fight” (archived here).

Additionally, he expressed being open to partnering with Odinga to form the next government in 2027 during a recent interview with local media (archived here).

Odinga said he would announce his next political move in the coming weeks (archived here).

As the country gears up for the 2027 general elections, both Ruto and Gachagua, now firm rivals, appear to be wooing Odinga to join their respective camps (archived here and here).