Did Isaac Mwaura Fake His Past in Controversial Post?

As is the norm on Thursdays, most people opt to share throwback pictures (TBTs) on social media to reminisce on past experiences in their lives.

Through his Facebook page, nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura joined the queue by sharing a picture of a boy appearing to address his friends in a baraza.

He captioned the image, "I started addressing a political gathering at the age of four years. A great TBT in 1986 at Githunguri, Kiambu County."

Many Kenyans took notice of the post and observed that the photo and the dates had some inconsistencies. 

"By 1986 you could only get black and white photos in the village. Politicians lie every time," one user, Isaac Ojwang' stated.

"A clear coloured HD photo in 1986? With those clothes? And that brick house? In Githunguri?" another user Brian Georges posed.

In a vaguely written post, Mwaura stated that he had seen the photo in other sources, without acknowledging the original source.

"God has been so faithful, I have seen this photo being used by international media houses over the years," he replied in a comment. 

A quick google search by Kenyans.co.ke revealed that the photo was taken in 2016 by Associated Press - the boy identified as Cassim Jaffalie, a three-year-old (at the time) in Malawi.

The photo was taken at the boy's family home in Machinga which is about 200km northeast of Blantyre, Malawi.

According to The Sun, a UK-based news company, his father, Razik Jaffalie, gave up his work as a bicycle taxi operator to protect his son in a country where attacks against people living with albinism are constant.

Here are more photos courtesy of the Associated Press: