An Image shared by former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko allegedly portraying the remains of a woman who was found dead in her house in Thika is OLD.
The image portrayed a skeleton of a human being that is beyond recognition.
In his caption to the image, Sonko claimed the remains were of a woman, identified as Leah Njeri, who was discovered 9 months after her death in Thika, Kiambu County.
“Morning watu wangu. Imagine sijalala poa coz hii story imenisumbua sana. [Morning my people. Imagine I haven't slept well because this story has bothered me a lot]. I am man enough but I had to shed tears after reading this story. This old shosho (grandmother) of 82 yrs whose decomposing body was found in Thika was left to die alone 9 months ago,” Sonko captioned the image.
The Star Fact-Checker has however established that the image shared by Sonko was published before the matter emerged.
A Google Reverse Image Search indicates that the incident did not happen in Kenya but in Nigeria.
The image, according to various publications in Nigeria, is of a landlord named John Aderemi Abiola who was discovered in his house in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State almost four years after he was last seen in December 2018.
Reliable news websites in Nigeria such as Frontline News the Editorial and Global Times Nigeria among many other blogs reported the incident on September 9, 2022.
It's important to note that reports of Leah Njeri’s death first emerged on August 6, 2023, almost a year after the image shared by Sonko was first published.
The Star Fact Checker has debunked the image and can authoritatively say it is MISLEADING to claim it is that of a Thika woman.
This fact check was published by The Star with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and African Fact-Checking Alliance.
