For the better part of the weekend, a picture made rounds on social media purporting that the Kenya Sex Workers Alliance (KESWA) was supporting Deputy President William Ruto.
Following the picture going viral, officials from the organisation came out to distance themselves from the messaging on the posters.
"KESWA wishes to clarify that the pics are fake and did not originate from us or any of our member organisations.
"The photos were from previous marches and demos to call to attention the plight and killings of sex workers in various parts of the country," the organisation's National Coordinator Phelister Abdalla stated.
She further clarified that the movement did not endorse any political party, candidate or person as she called for investigations into the source of the images.
A further search by Kenyans.co.ke revealed that the original picture was taken in 2015 during demonstrations in Kisumu where the banner originally read, "Stop killing sex workers, they are human."
Graphics designer Kevin Korir further explained that there was inconsistency with the fonts of the doctored poster.
"In the doctored banner with DP Ruto, the fonts are not the same and the word placement is also off as opposed to the first.
"The original poster, you can see how the tagline was placed as everything fits within the margins and it is neat," he stated.
There have been a number of incidents where DP Ruto has been the victim of viral photoshopped images.
Watching DPP Haji Order Arrest of CS Rotich
In July 2019, one of the biggest news was the arrest of former Treasury CS, Henry Rotich, over the Kimwarer and Arror dam scandals.
Minutes after the news made it to the media, a picture made rounds on social sites purporting that Deputy President William Ruto was watching the press briefing of DPP Haji ordering the arrest from his Karen residence.
The photo had been doctored from an image where the DP was watching Auditor General Edward Ouko, moments before his interview on Punchline with Anne Kiguta.
Fake impeachment letter against the DP
In May 2020, the National Assembly had to set the record straight following the circulation of an Order Paper doing the rounds online purportedly listing a Special Motion on the Impeachment of Deputy President William Ruto.
National Assembly Clerk Michael Sialai, in a statement dismissed the contents of the forged programme as fictitious and intended to mislead the Members of the National Assembly and the general public.
The fake Order Paper listed the impeachment of the DP on gross violation of the constitution and gross misconduct charges as the only House business scheduled for June 2 when the House resumes from its recess which began on May 6.
