These tweets with images supposedly of Saba Saba anti-government protests in Kenya’s Meru, Nairobi and Kitale towns are FALSE.
Saba Saba (Seven Seven) is symbolic and refers to the date 7 July. It was first commemorated in Kenya in 1990, when demonstrations were held against single-party governance.
Ever since, Kenyans have used Saba Saba to protest and raise grievances against the government.
In the run-up to 7 July 2023, the opposition announced it will hold countrywide protests against the high-cost of living on Saba Saba day.
But are these photos related to the 2023 Saba Saba anti-government protests?
The first post had two photos supposedly of the situation in Meru town.
We performed a Google reverse image search and established that the pictures are from protests at Maseno University and Kibera respectively.
The second post has a picture of a military tanker and a building on fire.
The text accompanying the image reads: “Situation write now at Nairobi CBD. KDF has taken charge (Sic)”.
A Google reverse image search shows that the photo was taken during the Romanian revolution that happened in December 1989.
The final post has an image purportedly of a protest scene in Kitale town.
By performing a Google reverse image search, we found that the photo is from India and it was taken in May 2023 at Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh after a military plane crashed in the area.
PesaCheck has examined tweets with photos supposedly of the 2023 Saba Saba anti-government protests in Kenya’s Meru, Nairobi and Kitale towns and found them to be FALSE.