Kenya: Old Photo of Ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta and Incumbent Ruto Falsely Linked to President's Daughter's 2026 Engagement Party

What the report says

Africa Check, in a story distributed by AllAfrica and published on 26 August 2026, examined a Facebook image that was said to show former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta attending the traditional engagement ceremony of President William Ruto’s daughter, Charlene Ruto. The post suggested the two political figures had reunited at the family event in Kilgoris, about 180 kilometres west of Nairobi, where Charlene’s Koito ak Chaik ceremony reportedly took place on 8 August 2026 as part of preparations for her marriage to Tanzanian entrepreneur Isaya Yunge.

The fact-check found the claim was false. A reverse image search showed the photo had been online years earlier and appeared in a 6 December 2019 Hivisasa article describing it as a past event. Africa Check traced the image back further to a wedding on 11 January 2019 at Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi, where it showed Kenyatta and Ruto seated together.

The report also noted visual clues that did not match the 2026 ceremony, including Ruto’s clothing in the older image. It said the recycled photo could mislead readers by suggesting a current political or family gathering involving two leaders who were allies in the past but later became rivals. More broadly, the article highlights the risk of old images being reused to support false claims about public figures and major events.