FALSE: The Star didn’t publish this story on a female governor being considered for deputy president position

The Star and Governor Wanga have termed the post fake.

This post on X (formerly Twitter) with a screen grab purportedly of the “Corridors of Power,” column on The Star newspaper, claiming that a female governor is being considered for the position of deputy president is FALSE.

The post reads, “As Rigathi Gachagua faces impeachment, Gladys Wanga’s name is being considered for the deputy presidency. The nation anticipates a new leadership.”

Accompanying the story is a photo of Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, creating the impression that the article is about her, since she is a female governor from the Nyanza region.

The claim was shared amid reports of an impending impeachment of Kenya’s Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua. This speculation has been on the rise since key members of Raila Odinga-led opposition were nominated by President Ruto as Cabinet Secretaries amid persistent protests in Kenya against the government. 

To confirm the authenticity of the screengrab, we checked The Star’s verified Facebook and X accounts and did not find the purported story.

Moreover, on the day the claim was shared, The Star published a different story on their official segment of “Corridors of Power”. A keyword search on the segment did not reveal any such story. On 5 August 2024, the publication distanced itself from the screengrab.

Maudhui House also examined Wanga’s X account and established that she denounced the graphic, stating: “False information spreads like wildfire, fueled by deceitful propaganda!”

Furthermore, a keyword search “Gladys Wanga Deputy President” on Google showed that there was no credible source of evidence to authenticate such claims.

Maudhui House examined a post on X that was purported to be a publication of The Star newspaper and found it to be FALSE.
This fact-check was published by Maudhui House with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and African Fact-Checking Alliance.