No, Kenya’s ex-deputy president Gachagua didn’t link cash rewards for national football team to ethnic favouritism
IN SHORT: According to this graphic, former Kenyan deputy president Rigathi Gachagua said president William Ruto’s cash rewards to the national football team were a scheme to “enrich” players from the western region. However, the graphic is fake.
“Ruto’s payment to Harambee Stars is part of broadbased plan to enrich players from the Lake and Western region,” reads a graphic circulating on social media in Kenya.
The graphic attributes this quote to Kenya’s former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua. It also features his photo and the logo of the Star, implying that the Kenyan newspaper published it.
The country’s national football team, Harambee Stars, is taking part in the 2024 African Nations Championship. Initially scheduled for 2024, the tournament kicked off in early August 2025. It is organised by the Confederation of African Football and co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
President William Ruto has promised to reward each player and technical staff member millions of Kenyan shillings for winning and drawing their matches, as part of the government’s efforts to motivate them. He has also promised more money, as well as houses, to team members if they advance further in the tournament.
The term “broadbased” refers to Ruto’s government, which he reshuffled in July 2024 to include members of the main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement. Sustained anti-government protests at the time pushed him to a political pact with the opposition and led to him unveiling what he called the broad-based government.
By using the phrase “Lake and Western region”, the graphic refers to the Luo and Luhya communities, who predominantly live in western Kenya, where Lake Victoria is located.
Gachagua and the tribal narrative
Gachagua served as Kenya’s deputy president from 2022 until his impeachment in October 2024, following a fallout with Ruto. The president and his allies accused Gachagua of corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining the government.
The former deputy president belongs to the Kikuyu, Kenya’s largest ethnic group. He has been positioning himself as the de facto leader of the Mount Kenya region, which refers to areas in central Kenya traditionally inhabited by the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru communities.
Gachagua, who is the leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party, has been a vocal critic of Ruto’s administration and has mobilised opposition leaders in a bid to unseat him in the 2027 general election.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Success!
Almost finished…
We need to confirm your email address.
To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.
Error!
There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.
His focus on Mount Kenya politics has made him a frequent target of critics who often label him a tribalist and fabricate claims to justify it. Tribalism has led to deadly ethnic clashes in the past, especially during elections. And as a result, there have been efforts to fight ethnic-based politics.
The graphic has been posted here, here and here.
But is it authentic? We checked.
Fake graphic
Africa Check compared the circulating graphic to a genuine one from the Star and noted a significant difference in the font, a clear red flag.
The newspaper usually posts its graphics on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X. We searched the accounts for the graphic but couldn’t find it.
On 15 August 2025, the newspaper posted the graphic with the word “FAKE” printed across it.
“This post is not associated with us in any way and should be treated as FAKE. Get authentic news from our verified accounts,” the Star cautioned.
The graphic is fake and should be disregarded.
