Africa Check
The last hurrah: Kenya’s president mangles the numbers in his final national day address – again
7th June 2022 Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta gave his final address on a national holiday as the country marked 59 years of self-rule after colonialism on 1... →
Nigeria spends more on national assembly than on education? Analyst gets it wrong
19th May 2022 Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari is to step down after the February 2023 elections after serving his second and final term as an elected... →
Ruto on the campaign trail: Grading some of Kenyan deputy president claims about his record in office
13th May 2022 Kenyan deputy president William Ruto is campaigning for president ahead of August 2022 elections. Ruto seeks to succeed president Uhuru Kenyatta... →
Are South African IDs ‘no longer considered secure because of Nigerian smugglers’? We asked embassies
10th May 2022 A Twitter account with more than 19 000 followers linked to Operation Dudula recently made a claim about the ability of South Africans to travel... →
Checking three claims by pro-Buhari group about outgoing Nigerian president’s record
4th May 2022 Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari is set to step down in February 2023 after two four-year terms in office. His supporters have recently been at... →
As Kenya’s president eyes exit, we fact-checked his administration’s last budget speech
22nd April 2022 Kenya’s finance minister recently outlined the country’s spending plans in what was the final budget statement of president Uhuru Kenyatta’s... →
Online publication ties itself in knots in report on Nigeria’s debt profile
19th April 2022 As Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari prepares to leave office in early 2023, the country’s debt remains one of the most debated topics of his... →
‘Battle of Chatham’? Fact-checking 4 claims by Kenyan presidential hopeful Raila Odinga at London thinktank
14th April 2022 The frontrunners in Kenya’s August 2022 presidential election recently publicised their agendas to an international audience, making a beeline for... →
Nigeria's education system 'dire'? Grading claims in Business Day editorial
7th April 2022 To mark this year’s International Day of Education, Nigeria’s Business Day newspaper turned the spotlight on learning in the country. In a largely... →
President Kenyatta did send billions to Mt Kenya counties, but misled on how much Kenya’s economy has grown under his watch
28th March 2022 There are no permanent allies or enemies, only permanent interests, the well-travelled saying goes. An example of this is the lead up to Kenya’s... →
Do 50 people die every hour from diseases related to poor hygiene, as Nigeria television ad claims? It’s more than that!
23rd March 2022 A TV commercial for Hypo Homecare Products, a household cleaning brand in Nigeria, draws attention to an alarming statistic about poor hygiene and... →
As Raila Odinga jets into London, we fact-check Kenyan deputy president’s 2022 Chatham House speech
16th March 2022 On 7 March 2022 Kenyan deputy president William Ruto returned to Chatham House, the British think tank, to set out his agenda should he be elected... →
Fact-checked: Viral social media posts about Russia, Ukraine and Africa
4th March 2022 On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded its neighbour, Ukraine. The ensuing conflict, which has captivated the world, has seen hundreds of civilian... →
Verifying Nigeria ICT head’s claims about sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy before and during president Buhari’s term
2nd March 2022 For Nigeria to succeed in a digital 21st century it must adopt fifth generation - or 5G - network technology, according to Kashifu Abdullahi, the... →
Foreign nationals’ kids born in South Africa can be denied citizenship, but foreigners may work in government
1st March 2022 Is South Africa not obliged to grant citizenship to children born to foreign nationals in South Africa? That’s the claim minister of home affairs... →
Nigerian online publication botches Kenya’s China debt numbers, but is right about port seizure warning
24th February 2022 Ahead of Kenyan general elections set for August 2022, public debt is a concern. Some analysts predict political risk could weigh down efforts to... →
Better roads not reducing traffic deaths in Nigeria, as presidential hopeful claimed
22nd February 2022 With Nigeria’s next general elections scheduled for February 2023, Bola Tinubu, a prominent leader in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),... →
Fact-checked: South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 6th state of the nation address
16th February 2022 South Africa’s 2022 state of the nation address (Sona) was different, with president Cyril Ramaphosa forced to deliver it from the Cape Town city... →
Fact-checking 7 claims about Nigeria’s ‘unemployment capital’
15th February 2022 “A calamity has befallen our state, Imo has collapsed under Hope Uzodinma,” said a January 2022 statement from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),... →
100-million people globally with persistent symptoms? Two ‘long Covid’ stats, investigated
10th February 2022 The South African government has, as of 1 February 2022, relaxed its regulations to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Children have returned to... →
Kenyan newspaper right that tax revenue rose ‘fastest’ under president Kenyatta, but context is key
8th February 2022 The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has pursued an aggressive tax collection strategy in recent years, aiming to increase revenue and meet targets.... →
South Africa’s Covid grant reached 9.5-million and lifted 5-million from poverty? President Ramaphosa’s numbers don’t quite add up
3rd February 2022 On 8 January 2022 South Africa’s ruling African National Congress celebrated its 110th anniversary. President Cyril Ramaphosa marked the occasion... →
Fact-checking Kenyan politician Musalia Mudavadi's speech at his party’s delegates conference
31st January 2022 On 23 January 2022, opposition politician Musalia Mudavadi accepted his party’s nomination for the Kenyan presidency. Promising to fix the... →
'Highest ever' unemployment rate? Fact-checking two claims from the ANC's 110th birthday party
28th January 2022 On 8 January 2022 South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, marked its 110th anniversary and Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South... →
Wrong again: Fact-checking Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta’s 2021 state of the nation address
10th December 2021 When president Uhuru Kenyatta delivered his state of the nation address on 30 November 2021, he didn’t correct some inaccuracies Africa Check... →
Fact-checked: Six claims by Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2021 national day speech
26th November 2021 In October 2021 Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta was in Kirinyaga county, about 100 kilometres northeast of the capital Nairobi, to mark Mashujaa –... →
National newspaper wrong on cardiovascular disease deaths in Nigeria
15th November 2021 Citing unnamed studies and researchers, a Nigerian daily newspaper attributed rising “sudden and unexplained” deaths in the country to... →
Data doesn’t back media claim that Kenya has East Africa’s highest youth unemployment rate of 38.9%
11th November 2021 In early November 2021, Kenya’s judiciary said its website had been overwhelmed when more than 60,000 people applied for just 560 jobs.... →
‘Building better communities together’ – Fact-checking the African National Congress election manifesto
22nd October 2021 South Africans are set to vote for district, metropolitan and local municipal council representatives in the upcoming local government elections.... →
Kenyan billionaire Jimi Wanjigi wants to be president, but were his TV interview facts on the money?
21st October 2021 With less than a year to Kenya’s elections, controversial businessman Jimmy Wanjigi discussed his presidential ambitions at length for the first... →
‘A promise of more’ – Fact-checking claims made in the Democratic Alliance’s 2021 election manifesto
21st October 2021 In the upcoming municipal elections South African citizens will elect representatives for district, metropolitan and local municipal councils... →
’Land and jobs manje!’ Fact-checking promises in the Economic Freedom Fighters’ 2021 election manifesto
19th October 2021 In the upcoming municipal elections South African citizens will elect representatives for district, metropolitan and local municipal councils... →
Nigeria at 61: checking president Buhari's 2021 Independence Day claims
14th October 2021 On 1 October 2021 president Muhammadu Buhari addressed Nigeria on the country’s Independence Day. This marked 61 years since Nigeria became a... →
Frozen out? Checking claims about women’s participation in Nigerian politics
6th October 2021 In a September 2021 opinion piece highlighting women’s exclusion from high-level politics in Nigeria, Nnedinso Ogaziechi made several claims. The... →
Have one in 10 Kenyan girls been cut since the start of the Covid pandemic? Claims about female genital mutilation in Kenya, checked
29th September 2021 There has been a renewed focus on female genital mutilation in the Kenyan press in recent months. An article published in Kenyan daily the Star... →
HEALTH CHECK: Unsafe abortion and maternal mortality in Nigeria
29th September 2021 Unsafe abortions caused 11% of the pregnancy-related deaths of women in Nigeria, Dr Habeeb Salami claimed at a September 2021 training workshop in... →
Did journalists’ TV ‘hangout’ get facts about healthcare in Nigeria right?
14th September 2021 If a doctors’ strike during Nigeria’s third Covid-19 wave and a deadly cholera outbreak wasn’t hard enough, health professionals were “rushing” to... →
Are 20 000 Nigerian doctors practising in the US, compared to 50 000 in the country?
10th September 2021 Offering better welfare packages would stem the loss of Nigeria’s doctors to other countries, according to a leading medic. Prof Oladapo Ashiru is... →
Two claims by popular morning radio show host about depression in Kenya, checked
9th September 2021 A popular Kenyan radio show host castigated men for keeping their troubles to themselves, and women for not offering a listening ear to them.... →
Yes, Oyo state’s own funds grew as governor claimed – here’s why this matters for Nigeria
2nd September 2021 The governor of Oyo state in southwestern Nigeria recently defended his revenue record after a rival took aim at it. In June 2021, Bayo Adelabu, a... →
No Kenneth Meshoe, police are allowed to shoot in self-defence, just like other South Africans
1st September 2021 South African police "are not even allowed to shoot when they are shot at”. This claim was made by Kenneth Meshoe, Christian pastor, member of... →
