Ignore fake ‘Nation.Africa’ graphic claiming Kenyan ex-premier Raila Odinga demanded state jobs to support president Ruto
IN SHORT: A graphic with the branding of Kenyan news publisher Nation.Africa claims that opposition politician Raila Odinga demanded senior government positions to support president William Ruto in the 2027 elections. But the news organisation has disowned the graphic.
A post on X published on 25 February 2025 claims that Raila Odinga has demanded the positions of deputy president, speaker of the national assembly, a cabinet secretary post and 10 permanent secretaries in exchange for supporting president William Ruto in the 2027 elections.
The post claims the former prime minister made the demand at State House in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city. It is supported by an accompanying graphic, which is designed as a breaking news alert from Nation.Africa and dated 23 February 2025.
The graphic reads: “Raila demands DP position, national assembly speaker, one more cabinet slot, and 10 PS slots to back Ruto.”
The post has been viewed over 7,400 times.
The political context
Odinga and Ruto were rivals in Kenya’s 2022 general election. Months after Ruto’s victory, Odinga led protests over the high cost of living and electoral disputes. The protests eventually ended in dialogue talks, and Odinga launched a campaign to become chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), with Ruto supporting his bid.
Meanwhile, some of Odinga’s allies joined the government following youth-led protests against a controversial tax bill. Four were appointed to the cabinet. Ruto’s deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, was later impeached and Kithure Kindiki was appointed as the new deputy. Since then, Gachagua has been campaigning against Ruto’s re-election.
Odinga’s bid for the AUC chair failed, sparking speculation about his next political move and possible alliances. After his AUC loss, he returned from Ethiopia and was received by Ruto and Kindiki in Mombasa. This fueled further talk of possible political alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.
The X post claims that Nation.Africa reported that during his speech in Mombasa, Odinga demanded government positions in exchange for supporting Ruto in 2027. But is this true? We checked.
Graphic not from Nation.Africa
The graphic did not appear on Nation.Africa’s social media pages on 23 February, and no such story appears on its website.
Nation.Africa also disowned the graphic by posting a blurred version of it with the word “FAKE”.
The news publisher warned the public to disregard the circulating graphic saying: “Please be advised that this card doing rounds on social media is fake.” It added that any graphic not on their official platforms is not from them.
The claim that Nation.Africa reported on Odinga demanding specific government positions to support Ruto in the 2027 elections is false.
