Africa Check
‘One South Africa for All!’ Fact-checking the DA’s 2019 election manifesto
26th March 2019 South Africa’s official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), launched its election manifesto in Johannesburg on 23 February 2019. The... →
World Water Day: 10 facts – some surprising – about Africa’s water
22nd March 2019 In 2019, World Water Day is focusing on the reasons why so many people still do not have safe water. To mark this day, we’re sharing some facts... →
No proof for ‘12-million jobs’ in Nigeria’s rice industry, as presidential aide claimed
19th March 2019 Rice has become a staple food in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country, making the industry a priority for governments wanting to improve their... →
Does South Africa’s finance minister have his job creation numbers right?
14th March 2019 In a speech peppered with biblical quotes and many tales about plants, finance minister Tito Mboweni outlined his budget for South Africa on 20... →
The jewel in the crown: Lagos governor hopefuls fact-checked
8th March 2019 Nigerians again hit the polling booths on 9 March 2019, this time to vote in governors and state assemblies. To help inform voters, The City that... →
How Kenyatta mangled his numbers on Kenyan counties’ development spend
6th March 2019 Unsmiling and flanked by county governors, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered striking Kenyan nurses back to work, as he pushed back against their... →
‘Our land and jobs now!’ Fact-checking the EFF’s 2019 election manifesto
4th March 2019 The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a South African political party, launched its election manifesto on 2 February 2019 in the country’s Gauteng... →
Kenya’s Ruto at Chatham House: verifying the deputy president’s London speech
25th February 2019 Deputy president William Ruto has become the latest notable Kenyan politician to speak at London’s Chatham House, where he highlighted the... →
Battle of the titans: Fact-checking arch-rivals in race for Nigeria’s presidency
15th February 2019 This week, Nigerians will elect a president. They are spoilt for choice: the official list has 73 names for the presidency, though some have since... →
‘A better life for all?’ Fact-checking the ANC’s 2019 election manifesto
11th February 2019 South Africa’s ruling political party, the African National Congress, launched its 2019 election manifesto last month. Taglined “a people’s plan... →
State of the Facts: Verifying Cyril Ramaphosa’s #SONA2019 claims
8th February 2019 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his second state of the nation address in parliament on 7 February. It was also the fifth – and... →
Has SA’s President Ramaphosa kept his 2018 State of the Nation promises?
6th February 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver South Africa’s annual State of the Nation address tomorrow night in Cape Town. And Africa Check will... →
No, 60 days of the ‘average’ Kenyan wage won’t buy you a new iPhone XS
5th February 2019 If the average Kenyan wants to buy a snazzy new iPhone XS smartphone, they’ll have to stop paying all other living expenses for 60 days, a story by... →
Did President Museveni get his facts right about Uganda’s development?
1st February 2019 Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement has made big strides since 1986, President Yoweri Museveni said in a New Year’s Day message to the... →
Fact-checked: The ANC’s 2014 election manifesto promises
28th January 2019 South Africans have been urged to register to vote ahead of the country’s national and provincial elections. Africa Check will be fact-checking... →
Have ‘hundreds’ of kids drowned in school pit latrines in South Africa?
25th January 2019 Thousands of people gathered in South Africa’s Soweto township in December 2018 for the Global Citizen Festival, a celebration of the hundred years... →
Nigeria #Debate2019: Did presidential candidates get their facts straight?
24th January 2019 With only weeks to Nigeria’s 2019 elections, campaigning is at fever pitch. It has not been without drama. On 19 January 2019 the first... →
Yes, teenagers account for 10% of deliveries in South Africa, but not half the maternal deaths
23rd January 2019 Many of the mothers who die during or shortly after childbirth are teenagers, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government’s head of health said... →
‘Project Rescue Nigeria’: Fact-checking Oby Ezekwesili’s presidential manifesto
17th January 2019 On 16 February 2019, Nigerians will head to the polls to choose a new president. One candidate is Obiageli Ezekwesili, who has twice served as a... →
ANC at 107: Eight birthday claims by party leader Ramaphosa fact-checked
14th January 2019 With the stakes high in an election year, South Africa’s ruling party sought to play up its achievements in the 25 years it has been in power.... →
500 000 or 200 000? President’s numbers for mortgages in Kenya both wide of the mark
8th January 2019 In a recent interview on the state of the nation, President Uhuru Kenyatta said he was frustrated by how few people in Kenya had taken up home... →
No, Kenya’s capital Nairobi doesn’t rake in KSh10bn a year from Murang’a water
11th December 2018 Kenya’s young county governments are under pressure to make ends meet. As a result, some are laying claim to the national resources in their... →
South African Airways has lost billions in seven unprofitable years
6th December 2018 South Africa’s new finance minister, Tito Mboweni, has spoken openly about what needs to be done to solve the country’s economic problems. He... →
Do 49% of men and 34.1% of women in South Africa smoke?
5th December 2018 Does South Africa have a huge number of smokers? A tweet by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World says so: “49% of men and 34.1% of women in South... →
Yes, China is Kenya’s biggest trading partner – but it’s not a balanced trade
4th December 2018 Kenya’s trade with China is rarely far from the headlines. The latest is a widely reported claim that China could seize Kenya’s assets over debt.... →
Is South Africa’s Mpumalanga province the ‘world’s largest air pollution hotspot’?
3rd December 2018 South Africa’s coal-rich Mpumalanga province is the “world’s largest air pollution hotspot”, an international environmental group recently... →
Yes, Nigeria is the world’s ‘highest producer of HIV-infected babies’
27th November 2018 Under the headline “Nigeria highest producer of HIV-infected babies”, the Sun newspaper reported on a new project to prevent the virus from being... →
Does Gauteng make up a third of South Africa’s GDP? And is it Africa’s seventh biggest economy?
20th November 2018 South Africa’s Gauteng province beat several other African locations to host the Africa Investment Forum, premier David Makhura said in early... →
Does Kenya’s tea-rich Kericho county get ‘nothing’ for its green gold?
16th November 2018 How resources are shared can be a source of friction between Kenya’s central government and its 47 new counties. Established by the 2010... →
Has Buhari’s government plunged Nigeria into $80 billion in debt?
13th November 2018 Nigeria’s 2019 elections are just months away, and Peter Obi, the recently announced Peoples Democratic Party candidate for vice president, has... →
Buhari campaign gets its numbers wrong about ‘record’ Nigeria agricultural exports
1st November 2018 One of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s key promises in his bid for re-election in 2019 is to create more jobs in agriculture. A top official... →
Is top ruling Jubilee Party official right about who is paying income tax in Kenya?
31st October 2018 Kenyan taxpayers are unhappy after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed off on a law that increased taxes on many goods and services, including an 8%... →
‘65% of females’ in Kenyan slum traded sex for sanitary pads? Unicef & UK newspaper pull stat from thin air
25th October 2018 Seven in 10 females in Nairobi’s Kibera slum have traded sex for sanitary pads, a British online newspaper claimed in a September 2018 article.... →
Do South Africa’s civil servants get R8 out of every R10 the government spends?
24th October 2018 South Africa’s newly minted finance minister is set to deliver his first budget speech today. Ahead of the speech, Tito Mboweni commented on the... →
Does one in 10 children in Nigeria die before their 5th birthday?
23rd October 2018 Nigeria’s social spending is shamefully low, states the ‘best and worst’ section of Oxfam’s commitment to reducing inequality index. The index... →
Digging up the numbers on informal mining in Nigeria
4th October 2018 Millions of people in Nigeria survive on artisanal and small-scale mining, the country’s minister of mines and steel, Abubakar Bwari, reportedly... →
Spectator Index tweet exaggerates Nigeria’s suicide rate
28th September 2018 Popular for the facts and figures it tweets, the Spectator Index posted a list of the suicide rates in different countries earlier this year. The... →
Check the stats, Ramaphosa – 62 people murdered on SA farms & smallholdings last year
27th September 2018 Speaking in New York, South Africa’s president claimed that farmers are not being killed in his country. Cyril Ramaphosa was commenting on a tweet... →
Yes, neighbourly South Africa helps keep Zimbabwe’s lights on
26th September 2018 After an hour and a half of answering questions in parliament, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa wasted little time on a question from the... →
Number of qualified primary school teachers and grade 6 literacy in Nigeria higher than claimed
18th September 2018 Nigeria’s ailing education system is shown in the bad shape of its public schools, the head of an educational charity said recently. The Nation... →
Tax revenue and development spend: does Kenya’s majority leader get his numbers right?
14th September 2018 The leader of the majority party in Kenya’s national assembly wasted no time in trading punches with his TV host as he waded into a national... →
