No, Kenyan president Ruto has not banned political gatherings in Mount Kenya region

IN SHORT: A viral graphic supposedly from popular news website Tuko claims that Kenyan president William Ruto has banned political assemblies in the vote-rich Mount Kenya region. But this is false, and the graphic is not from Tuko.

A graphic featuring the branding of Tuko.co.ke, a popular Kenyan news website, has gone viral on social media.

It reads: “President Ruto bans political gatherings in Mt. Kenya, restricts open fields for political activities, and mandates approval from area chiefs to play cultural songs at events following criticism at the Ndumberi gathering.”

The graphic shows a photo of Kenyan president William Ruto.

It has been widely shared across social media, generating debate. It has also been published here and here, The posts collectively have over 400,000 views.

The context

Ndumberi is a town and urban centre in Kenya’s Kiambu county, about 20 kilometres from Nairobi city. In a political context, the Mount Kenya region refers to areas around central Kenya and parts of eastern Kenya traditionally inhabited by the populous Kikuyu, Embu, and Meru communities.

On 28 October 2024, local artists organised a gathering in Ndumberi to celebrate the birthday of former president Uhuru Kenyatta. The event, rich in Kikuyu song and dance, was attended by several political leaders.

Kenyatta was absent from the event, having attended an African Union forum on peace and security in Ivory Coast. Some speeches turned political, with some leaders raising issues such as the impeachment of deputy president Rigathi Gachagua.

Gachagua, who hails from Mount Kenya, was removed after falling out with Ruto. In the aftermath, there was speculation that Ruto would receive a hostile reception when he toured the region.

Gachagua’s replacement, Kithure Kindiki, is also from the Mount Kenya region.

The claim in question began circulating shortly after the Ndumberi event, suggesting that Ruto was trying to limit political freedoms in the region to avoid criticism.

But are these claims true? We checked.

Graphic not from Tuko and claims false

A keyword search reveals no credible information to support this claim.

It is highly unlikely that a ban on political gatherings, which are protected by article 37 of the constitution, could be enforced in only one region. Such a regional ban would violate the constitutional rights to equality and freedom from discrimination.

It would likely be challenged in the courts as it would also violate rights protecting freedom of expression and the right to the culture of one’s choice. But this has not happened.

If Ruto had issued such a directive, it would have been widely publicised through official government communication channels.

Although the claim has been informally discussed on social media as it has gone viral, no major media outlet has reported or discussed it.

Furthermore, Tuko posted a version of the same graphic on their social media pages, marking it as fake and confirming that it was not from their team. So the graphic is fake and not from Tuko.

The claim that Ruto has banned political rallies in the Mt Kenya region and restricted the playing of cultural songs at rallies is false.