An image shared on Twitter on September 4, 2022, of a truck transporting retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s personal possessions from State House is false.
In the image, General Service Unit (GSU) officers are seen standing next to a truck, while others appear to be consulting. The image is accompanied by a caption that reads, “Chairman of Azimio and outgoing president personal things moved out of state house, power is Transient.”
The photo was also shared by various social media users on Facebook.
The image was shared a day before the Supreme Court of Kenya delivered its ruling on the election petition filed by Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga, contesting President William Ruto’s win in the 9th August 2022 election.
The petition extended Mr Uhuru Kenyatta’s stay at State House as the country awaited its determination. On 5th September, Supreme Court judges led by Chief Justice Martha Koome dismissed the petition, paving the way for Ruto’s swearing-in and Uhuru Kenyatta’s exit.
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta has been a tenant at State House for the last 10 years. He moved in after his predecessor, the late Mwai Kibaki, officially handed over power to him.
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BusinessToday reviewed the image and found it to be an old photo from nine years ago. Investigations reveal that the image was shared on 9th April, 2013, by journalists Larry Madowo and John Allan Namu, when the moving company Cube Movers trucks left State House ahead of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s inauguration.
The image re-emerged on 4th September 2022 ahead of the Supreme Court ruling and transition of power and has been a subject of fact-checks by various online publishers and forums.
The image is an old photo and does not show a Cube Movers truck moving Uhuru Kenyatta’s personal belongings from State House ahead of Ruto’s swearing-in and is, therefore, FALSE.
This fact-check was produced by BUSINESS TODAY with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck, African Fact Checking Alliance network and the United Nations Development Programme.
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