Africa Check
Nigerian online publication botches Kenya’s China debt numbers, but is right about port seizure warning
24th February 2022 Ahead of Kenyan general elections set for August 2022, public debt is a concern. Some analysts predict political risk could weigh down efforts to... →
Better roads not reducing traffic deaths in Nigeria, as presidential hopeful claimed
22nd February 2022 With Nigeria’s next general elections scheduled for February 2023, Bola Tinubu, a prominent leader in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),... →
Fact-checked: South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 6th state of the nation address
16th February 2022 South Africa’s 2022 state of the nation address (Sona) was different, with president Cyril Ramaphosa forced to deliver it from the Cape Town city... →
Fact-checking 7 claims about Nigeria’s ‘unemployment capital’
15th February 2022 “A calamity has befallen our state, Imo has collapsed under Hope Uzodinma,” said a January 2022 statement from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),... →
100-million people globally with persistent symptoms? Two ‘long Covid’ stats, investigated
10th February 2022 The South African government has, as of 1 February 2022, relaxed its regulations to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Children have returned to... →
Kenyan newspaper right that tax revenue rose ‘fastest’ under president Kenyatta, but context is key
8th February 2022 The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has pursued an aggressive tax collection strategy in recent years, aiming to increase revenue and meet targets.... →
South Africa’s Covid grant reached 9.5-million and lifted 5-million from poverty? President Ramaphosa’s numbers don’t quite add up
3rd February 2022 On 8 January 2022 South Africa’s ruling African National Congress celebrated its 110th anniversary. President Cyril Ramaphosa marked the occasion... →
Fact-checking Kenyan politician Musalia Mudavadi's speech at his party’s delegates conference
31st January 2022 On 23 January 2022, opposition politician Musalia Mudavadi accepted his party’s nomination for the Kenyan presidency. Promising to fix the... →
'Highest ever' unemployment rate? Fact-checking two claims from the ANC's 110th birthday party
28th January 2022 On 8 January 2022 South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, marked its 110th anniversary and Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South... →
Wrong again: Fact-checking Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta’s 2021 state of the nation address
10th December 2021 When president Uhuru Kenyatta delivered his state of the nation address on 30 November 2021, he didn’t correct some inaccuracies Africa Check... →
Fact-checked: Six claims by Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2021 national day speech
26th November 2021 In October 2021 Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta was in Kirinyaga county, about 100 kilometres northeast of the capital Nairobi, to mark Mashujaa –... →
National newspaper wrong on cardiovascular disease deaths in Nigeria
15th November 2021 Citing unnamed studies and researchers, a Nigerian daily newspaper attributed rising “sudden and unexplained” deaths in the country to... →
Data doesn’t back media claim that Kenya has East Africa’s highest youth unemployment rate of 38.9%
11th November 2021 In early November 2021, Kenya’s judiciary said its website had been overwhelmed when more than 60,000 people applied for just 560 jobs.... →
‘Building better communities together’ – Fact-checking the African National Congress election manifesto
22nd October 2021 South Africans are set to vote for district, metropolitan and local municipal council representatives in the upcoming local government elections.... →
Kenyan billionaire Jimi Wanjigi wants to be president, but were his TV interview facts on the money?
21st October 2021 With less than a year to Kenya’s elections, controversial businessman Jimmy Wanjigi discussed his presidential ambitions at length for the first... →
‘A promise of more’ – Fact-checking claims made in the Democratic Alliance’s 2021 election manifesto
21st October 2021 In the upcoming municipal elections South African citizens will elect representatives for district, metropolitan and local municipal councils... →
’Land and jobs manje!’ Fact-checking promises in the Economic Freedom Fighters’ 2021 election manifesto
19th October 2021 In the upcoming municipal elections South African citizens will elect representatives for district, metropolitan and local municipal councils... →
Nigeria at 61: checking president Buhari's 2021 Independence Day claims
14th October 2021 On 1 October 2021 president Muhammadu Buhari addressed Nigeria on the country’s Independence Day. This marked 61 years since Nigeria became a... →
Frozen out? Checking claims about women’s participation in Nigerian politics
6th October 2021 In a September 2021 opinion piece highlighting women’s exclusion from high-level politics in Nigeria, Nnedinso Ogaziechi made several claims. The... →
Have one in 10 Kenyan girls been cut since the start of the Covid pandemic? Claims about female genital mutilation in Kenya, checked
29th September 2021 There has been a renewed focus on female genital mutilation in the Kenyan press in recent months. An article published in Kenyan daily the Star... →
HEALTH CHECK: Unsafe abortion and maternal mortality in Nigeria
29th September 2021 Unsafe abortions caused 11% of the pregnancy-related deaths of women in Nigeria, Dr Habeeb Salami claimed at a September 2021 training workshop in... →
Did journalists’ TV ‘hangout’ get facts about healthcare in Nigeria right?
14th September 2021 If a doctors’ strike during Nigeria’s third Covid-19 wave and a deadly cholera outbreak wasn’t hard enough, health professionals were “rushing” to... →
Are 20 000 Nigerian doctors practising in the US, compared to 50 000 in the country?
10th September 2021 Offering better welfare packages would stem the loss of Nigeria’s doctors to other countries, according to a leading medic. Prof Oladapo Ashiru is... →
Two claims by popular morning radio show host about depression in Kenya, checked
9th September 2021 A popular Kenyan radio show host castigated men for keeping their troubles to themselves, and women for not offering a listening ear to them.... →
Yes, Oyo state’s own funds grew as governor claimed – here’s why this matters for Nigeria
2nd September 2021 The governor of Oyo state in southwestern Nigeria recently defended his revenue record after a rival took aim at it. In June 2021, Bayo Adelabu, a... →
No Kenneth Meshoe, police are allowed to shoot in self-defence, just like other South Africans
1st September 2021 South African police "are not even allowed to shoot when they are shot at”. This claim was made by Kenneth Meshoe, Christian pastor, member of... →
Half a million abortions in Kenya every year, despite ban? Yes – and decade-old estimate still relevant
25th August 2021 Radio celebrity Julius Owino, known as Maji Maji, recently made a startling claim to start off a discussion about abortion in Kenya. “500 000... →
Do 3 in 10 girls in South Africa miss school because they lack sanitary pads? Ghost stat widely cited
23rd August 2021 While discussing “period poverty” and its effect on schoolgirls, an article on the widely read South African website News24 offered an alarming... →
No, South Africa doesn’t have world’s 2nd-highest rate of firearm-related deaths
18th August 2021 South Africa has been debating proposed revisions to the primary law that governs who can own guns in the country and how they are used. The... →
Are 20-million black South Africans unemployed, compared to 1.6-million in 1994? Viral graphic gets it wrong
10th August 2021 A graphic widely shared in South Africa appears to lay bare in stark numbers the agony of high unemployment in the country. The graphic, posted... →
South African news website fumbles extent of cancer in Malawi
5th August 2021 A South African news website recently made a startling claim about the burden of cancer in Malawi, while reporting on inexpensive cancer screening... →
100 pupils to a teacher? Fact-checking widely read claims about education in Nigeria
3rd August 2021 In an article about the “menace” of Nigeria’s out-of-school children, columnist Jerome-Mario Utomi made several claims about education in the... →
No, South Africa does not account for ‘50% of global mining deaths’
28th July 2021 “About 50% of global mining deaths occur in South Africa. Yet no single mining executive has been held accountable,” reads a tweet with more than... →
Uhuru Kenyatta: Fact-checking Kenyan president’s claims about his legacy
23rd July 2021 With just over a year left in his presidency, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta has been highlighting his administration’s achievements since he took office... →
No, 70% of Kenya’s high school students don’t score D+ or lower
22nd July 2021 While debating Kenya’s new curriculum, the director of a local education non-profit made a claim about how many final-year high school students... →
Beware before you share! These #ShutdownSA videos are misleading
14th July 2021 South Africa’s Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces have been rocked by days of looting, protests and violence. The immediate cause was demands that... →
Fact-checked: 9 claims about South African schools from Ernst Roets
30th June 2021 South Africa doesn’t spend enough time discussing the “disastrous state of its education system”, according to AfriForum’s head of policy and... →
No proof Mega Oxygen boosts oxygen levels or cures Covid-19, as viral Facebook video claims
30th June 2021 A video with more than 2-million views on Facebook claims that Mega Oxygen can boost your oxygen levels. It’s the “flagship product” of a company... →
Yes, Kenya’s elephants have increased in last 30 years but only census will plug data gaps
30th June 2021 Kenya is counting its wildlife for the first time to better manage a major tourist attraction and source of income for the country. The census... →
Forty-million Twitter users in Nigeria? How pollster’s flawed figure became fact
28th June 2021 Nigeria has been in the global spotlight after its government indefinitely suspended Twitter in early June. The suspension came days after Twitter... →
World Health Organization not proposing an alcohol ban for ‘women of childbearing age’
25th June 2021 Has the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed that “women of ‘child bearing age’ be banned from drinking alcohol”? That was the claim made by... →
