Kenya's Standard Newspaper Didn't Report Opposition Leader Offered Ksh4 Billion to Drop Presidential Bid

9 May 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Kenya's Standard newspaper didn't report opposition leader offered KSh4 billion to drop presidential bid

IN SHORT: An online image resembling the front page of Kenya's Standard newspaper, claims that opposition politician Kalonzo Musyoka has been offered KSh4 billion to drop his presidential bid. However, the image has been altered.

Kenyan politician Kalonzo Musyoka was offered KSh4 billion (about US$30 million) to drop his presidential bid and support former cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i.

That's according to an image of what seems to be the 1 May 2025 front page of Kenya's Standard newspaper circulating on Facebook.

The front page features the images of Musyoka and Matiang'i and has the headline: "Kalonzo's Price Tag?"

In its summary, the image claims that former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta is secretly involved in the political deal, which "exposes the rot within the opposition" and shows that the opposition is "auctioning" leadership.

"This isn't strategy; it's a political clearance sale. As the government focuses on progress, the opposition is busy recycling the past. Kenyans must wake up: 2027 is being rigged from within," it reads.

Matiang'i jetted back into the country from the US on 17 April 2025. He has been endorsed by the Jubilee Party, led by Kenyatta, to run for president in the 2027 general election. Jubilee was Kenya's ruling party from 2017 to 2022. Matiang'i was part of Kenyatta's cabinet from 2013 to 2022, after which he kept a low profile until his recent return.

Musyoka is the leader of the Wiper Democratic Movement party. He has announced that he will run for president in 2027.

Musyoka, Matiang'i and former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua are some of the opposition leaders that have come together with the goal of unseating president William Ruto in the next elections.

Gachagua was Kenya's deputy president from 2022 until his impeachment in October 2024 after falling out with Ruto.

But is the front page circulating legit? We checked.

Altered front page

The Standard usually posts digital versions of its front pages on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X.

Africa Check compared the circulating front page to a genuine one from the newspaper and noted that the fonts for the headline and summary differed significantly. This is a clue that it could be fake.

We found the genuine front page for the 1 May issue on the Standard's Facebook page. It features images of Ruto on different farms. The headline reads: "Ruto's land question". It discusses his land-related court battles.

The suspicious front page closely resembles the original but replaces the original headline with "Kalonzo's Price Tag?"

The front page in question is fake and should be ignored.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 Africa Check. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.

OSZAR »