Africa Check
Fact-checked: 5 claims by Kenyan President Kenyatta in national day speech
5th December 2019 Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa hosted Mashujaa Day celebrations for the first time in 2019. One of three annual national days in Kenya and... →
Yes, South Africa’s clean energy output up from zero to ‘over 4.5%’ since 2010
4th December 2019 South Africa’s government had “successfully increased the contribution of clean energy from 0% in 2010 to over 4.5% within five years”, energy... →
South African Airways does not employ 55 500 people
21st November 2019 A strike at cash-strapped South African Airways (SAA) led to all local flights being cancelled. Employees are demanding higher pay and for planned... →
Fact-checked: Al Jazeera’s claims about Nigeria’s ‘mental health problem’
19th November 2019 On World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2019, Qatar-headquartered news organisation Al Jazeera focused on Nigeria. In an online report with the... →
Fact-Checked: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s claims about progress in South Africa since 1994
14th November 2019 How has South Africa fared since its first democratic elections in 1994? That’s the question a new government report released by the country’s... →
Has ‘super’ minister been handed nearly half of Kenya’s development cash?
12th November 2019 The “Sh800-billion minister with few answers”: That is how Kenyan daily the Standard recently described transport and infrastructure minister James... →
ICT outstrips oil and gas in Nigeria’s economy – but error in minister’s comparison
7th November 2019 Nigeria’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector contributed more to gross domestic product than the oil and gas sector, Dr Isa... →
Tallest building in Africa? SA’s Leonardo pulls the trigger too soon
23rd October 2019 Media reports have recently hailed the opulent Leonardo tower in Johannesburg’s Sandton district as the new tallest building in Africa. The... →
No Minister Cele: SA not only country in Africa giving out crime stats
20th September 2019 While releasing South Africa’s annual crime statistics, police minister Bheki Cele said that his department had “dropped the ball” when it came to... →
No evidence ‘nearly half of all child deaths in Africa stem from hunger’
10th September 2019 “Nearly half of all child deaths in Africa stem from hunger,” read the headline of a June 2019 online article by the UK’s Guardian newspaper.... →
Think before you share! Old, misleading videos said to be of xenophobic violence in SA are going viral
4th September 2019 Xenophobic unrest has flared up again in South Africa’s Gauteng province. Violent attacks against foreign-owned businesses and incidents of looting... →
Five facts: Femicide in South Africa
4th September 2019 South Africans have been horrified by the murder of University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana. Initial reports suggest that a post office... →
Unproven that Hillbrow, nearby areas are ‘80% foreign national’ as claimed in much-shared video
4th September 2019 In a video being shared briskly following a spate of attacks in South Africa by mobs targeting foreign-owned businesses, former deputy minister of... →
Incorrect that 70% of Nigerian children aren’t registered
2nd September 2019 When Nigeria’s uncertain population figures are discussed, a startling statistic is frequently mentioned – that seven in ten of the country’s... →
No, adolescents don’t account for half of new HIV infections in Kenya
29th August 2019 Nearly half of new HIV infections in Kenya are among adolescents, a major drugmaker claimed during an international conference focused on the... →
No evidence for millions of jobs claim by Nigerian senior official
27th August 2019 Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, is “strongly committed” to creating more jobs in his second term. This is what finance minister Zainab Ahmed... →
Nairobi produces a fifth of Kenya’s GDP – not 45%, as the Guardian claimed
21st August 2019 In an article on unsafe abortions and urban poverty in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, the UK’s Guardian newspaper claimed nearly half of Kenya’s goods and... →
Kenya logging ban: Do senator’s claims about GDP and demand add up?
14th August 2019 Kenya’s 18-month-long ban on logging has closed businesses and caused a rise in both unemployment and construction costs, a senator has claimed.... →
South African promise tracker: 1 out of 7 for the African National Congress
8th August 2019 Africa Check’s Promise Tracker keeps tabs on election commitments by ruling parties in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. South Africa’s ruling... →
No research backs widely shared statistic about gun ownership risk in South Africa
1st August 2019 An awareness campaign in South Africa about the dangers of owning a firearm relies on an often-used claim. “From home invasions to hijackings and... →
What a waste: fact-checking four claims about Nigeria’s garbage problem
26th July 2019 Piling waste posed a “grave danger” to people in Nigeria, a national newspaper said, putting them at risk of environmental hazards and epidemics.... →
Claims on Kenya’s counties: fact-checking the 2019 State of Devolution Address
25th July 2019 On 28 June Kenya’s county governors issued the 2019 State of Devolution Address in which they laid out the achievements of the 47 county... →
Do 1 in 4 South African employees have depression?
24th July 2019 Whenever work anxiety, burn-out and stress in South African workplaces are reported on, a well-worn statistic is likely to be mentioned. “At least... →
German national Michael Duerr owns 0.5% – not 57.5% – of South Africa’s Reserve Bank
22nd July 2019 In the game of South African politics, the reserve bank is often the ball. And it’s clear who is on which side. The ruling African National... →
Is Nigeria’s Cross River state among the safest, as governor claimed?
19th July 2019 Cross River state governor Ben Ayade has been outlining his priorities for his second term in office, with security top among them. Despite the... →
Yes, Kenya’s county funding based on five-year-old national revenue figures
11th July 2019 A push to amend Kenya’s constitution continues to simmer, with backers of a draft bill saying they have the required million signatures supporting... →
Yes, Kenya’s health budget has risen 30% in last two fiscal years
8th July 2019 Better healthcare is a key pillar of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy projects, known as the Big 4, as he serves out his second and final term.... →
South African police minister cites dubious UN standard as he calls for 60 000 more officers
2nd July 2019 Giving his second state of the nation address in June 2019, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said that the first step to creating a country... →
No evidence powerful Kenyan minister urged debtors to default on popular mobile apps
27th June 2019 Has Kenya’s powerful interior minister banned mobile lending apps, as a post on a popular Facebook page claims? As evidence of this order, the user... →
Coca-Cola is right: 50% of young women in northern Nigeria have no formal education
25th June 2019 To mark International Women’s Day in March 2019, Coca-Cola Nigeria tweeted a video that opened with the claim that “50% of young women in northern... →
Kenya’s 2019 budget speech: do finance minister’s numbers add up?
18th June 2019 On 13 June 2019 Kenya’s finance minister Henry Rotich announced his budget for the 2019/20 financial year, which starts on 1 July. Rotich said the... →
Does Kenya have one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world?
13th June 2019 A British charity’s recent appeal for donations said the death rates of mothers and young children in Kenya were very high, giving statistics to... →
Are nearly 80% of Kenya’s farmers smallholders? No data shows this
6th June 2019 Household budgets can be a tight balancing act in Kenya, with unpredictable weather playing ping-pong with food prices. The government’s budgets... →
Cadbury South Africa’s 3.7-million orphans claim based on old data
4th June 2019 A paper plane is the “closest thing to a toy” South African orphans may ever have, according to a May 2019 marketing campaign by chocolate company... →
Quick read: South Africa’s 2019 election in numbers
28th May 2019 In May 2019 South Africa held its sixth democratic election. Millions queued to make their mark on a longer than usual ballot paper. The dust is... →
Do eight professionals leave South Africa for every one that comes in?
27th May 2019 In an April 2019 episode of the Money Show on talk radio 702, host Bruce Whitfield explored why South Africa’s economy was “in trouble”. “Brain... →
Are there ‘100-million generators in private hands’ in Nigeria?
10th May 2019 During a “special open line” segment on his popular morning radio show, 702 host Bongani Bingwa asked South Africans to suggest solutions to the... →
No, SA government hasn’t built 4-million houses – and Ramaphosa didn’t promise a million in Alex
17th April 2019 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently brought his election campaign to Alexandra, after a week of protests about service delivery in the... →
Top Kenyan lawyer gets parliament and judiciary funding numbers wrong
3rd April 2019 As Kenya’s parliament finalises the country’s budget forecasts, its allocation to the judiciary has left a prominent lawyer unimpressed. “Look at... →
False context: Graphic videos, photos not of recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa
2nd April 2019 South African government officials have met diplomats from other African countries to discuss reported attacks on foreign nationals in the... →
Settling the long-running DA-ANC spat over City of Tshwane finances
28th March 2019 In February 2019, South Africa’s political parties responded in parliament to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, in what is... →
