FALSE: Raila didn’t hold bilateral talks with UK Envoys in August

Kenyan Opposition Leader Raila Odinga did not hold separate bilateral talks with two United Kingdom envoys during his trip to the country. 

The claim was made by Eric Riwa through an X post, alleging that Raila met UK Trade Envoy to Kenya and Member of Parliament Theodora Clarke is false.

Eric made the post on August 20, 2023. 

“Raila Odinga holds bilateral talks in the UK, Kenya represented accurately by babaman. Raila Odinga nation drop handles,” the post read. 

In a separate post, Eric also alleged that the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Alliance leader met British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey on the same trip.

“Raila Odinga is already in the UK and already having a meeting. A happy Baba is a Happy Kenya. It Rains, It Pours, Tears in my eyes,” he said.

The post was made on August 19, 2023, the same day Raila left the country for his UK trip. 

According to a statement by spokesman Dennis Onyango, shared on August 19, Raila travelled to the UK for a one-week business and private visit. 

"He will also use his stay in the UK to rest and relax, which he doesn’t do enough back at home," the statement read.

While conducting a reverse image on the photo shared by Eric, we came across several articles and an X post by Raila.

There were news reports of Heappey meeting with Raila on March 15. 2023, with discussions surrounding security matters.

The pictures above were first shared by Raila Odinga on his X account on March 16, 2022, captioned: “This formed the basis of our discussion at the House of Commons with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s trade envoy to Kenya. The meeting was also attended by 10 members from both Houses of Parliament.” 

This fact check was published by The Star, Kenya, with technical support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck newsdesk, through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).