Africa Check
#NamibiaElections2024: Fact-checking opposition Popular Democratic Movement manifesto
26th November 2024 The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), Namibia's official opposition party, launched its election manifesto in August 2024. In the 2019 general... →
MFWA, Dubawa and Ghana Fact establish Ghana Fact-checking Coalition ahead of December elections
21st November 2024 The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Dubawa, FactSpace West Africa and other civil society organisations working on information hygiene,... →
#OndoDecides2024: Fact-checking debate claims made by the two main candidates for the governor’s office
14th November 2024 Nigeria’s Ondo state goes to the polls on 16 November 2024 to elect a governor, with incumbent Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress... →
Hit or miss? Fact-checking former lawmaker Dakuku Peterside's statistics advising Nigeria's new education minister
12th November 2024 Nigeria's new education minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, is still getting used to the job after being appointed on 24 October 2024 following a cabinet... →
Did former governor Uduaghan ‘remarkably’ cut infant mortality in Nigeria’s Delta state by more than half, as glowing column claims?
5th November 2024 In a glowing column for the Nigerian newspaper This Day, Chike Ogeah, a former Delta state commissioner, praised the health record of former... →
50 fact-checking organisations in Africa sign pact on information integrity
1st November 2024 Fifty fact-checking organisations in Africa, with a presence in at least 30 countries, have signed a declaration to work together to tackle harmful... →
Missed call: Fact-checking Kenya’s overshadowed 2024 state of devolution address
25th October 2024 In early October 2024, the Kenyan political arena erupted with a spectacular falling-out between president William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi... →
No, photo of Somali man with gun not taken in South Africa
22nd October 2024 IN SHORT: A widely shared image of a man with a machine gun has been used to stoke xenophobic tensions in South Africa multiple times, including by... →
EXPLAINER: How Nigeria can become vaccine-independent
9th October 2024 Africa's dependence on imported vaccines was starkly illustrated by the Covid pandemic. But faced with recurrent outbreaks of diseases ranging... →
Fact-checking president Tinubu's claims about Nigeria's economic successes in his Independence Day speech
4th October 2024 On 1 October 2024, Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu addressed the nation in a speech to mark the 64th anniversary of Nigeria's independence. The... →
As Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja paints rosy picture of his two years in office, we fact-checked claims on revenue, city debt and water supply
26th September 2024 On 16 September 2024, Kenyan newspaper the Star published an interview with a “bullish” Nairobi governor, Johnson Sakaja, about his two years in... →
Indian billionaire Adani is eyeing Kenya’s main airport, and the govt is backing the deal. But are the official talking points factual?
20th September 2024 On 11 September 2024, Kenya's main Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or JKIA, was grounded for a day as aviation workers went on strike. The... →
EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the upcoming off-cycle elections in Nigeria's Edo and Ondo states
13th September 2024 Dates have been announced for two of Nigeria’s eight off-cycle state elections. The first will be held in Edo state in the south-south... →
Kenya's new finance minister has surprising numbers about public debt, loans, sugar demand and VAT
30th August 2024 Long-time opposition politician John Mbadi was appointed Kenya’s new finance minister on 7 August 2024. Before his appointment, Mbadi was a fierce... →
Mpox is once again a ‘public health emergency’. What you need to know
29th August 2024 Mpox is a viral disease with a distinctive rash and can be fatal. A global outbreak of the disease that began in 2022 is still ongoing, with... →
The challenge ahead: Fact-checking South Africa’s new lawmakers as parliament kicks off
13th August 2024 Following a historic election, president Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the opening of parliament address on 18 July 2024, marking the start of the... →
Verifying claims by Bola Tinubu’s media team amid #EndBadGoverance protests in Nigeria
8th August 2024 The Nigerian government, led by president Bola Tinubu, has taken several steps to stop the planned ten-day nationwide protests scheduled for 1 to... →
Expectations versus reality: The use of generative AI in South Africa's 2024 election
18th July 2024 By now you’ve heard that 2024 is the ultimate election year. With over 60 countries around the world heading to the polls, concerns about... →
Casting doubts and casting votes - the real-world effects of false election fraud claims
12th July 2024 South Africa’s May 2024 elections were widely acknowledged as pivotal for the country. After 30 years in power, the ruling African National... →
Kenya’s beleaguered president Ruto chose a live interview to defend his record, but did his claims add up?
4th July 2024 Under siege from young citizens furious over tax plans widely seen as punitive, police abductions and the killing of protesters, Kenyan president... →
As Kenyan president Ruto ticks off his to-do list from US state visit, we review some of his claims, including on peacekeeping
28th June 2024 On 24 June 2024, US president Joe Biden formally designated Kenya a “major” ally in defence and security, a status almost identical to that enjoyed... →
Do almost half of Nigerians suffer multiple forms of poverty? Fact-checking columnist’s claims
19th June 2024 Nigerians have been struggling with the high cost of living, with trade unions organising a nationwide strike to demand a higher minimum wage. As... →
Nigeria accounts for 28.5% of the world's maternal deaths, not 10% as claimed by campaign group
6th June 2024 In April 2024, the non-profit civil rights group Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) made a startling claim about maternal... →
Fact-checked: Six claims by Kenya’s deputy president on the cost of living
9th May 2024 In March 2024, Kenya’s deputy president Rigathi Gachagua spent time in his political backyard trying to quell simmering dissent over taxes on... →
Life under the DA in the Western Cape: fact-checking South African opposition party’s claims about governance
7th May 2024 The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s opposition party, has governed the Western Cape province since 2009. Ahead of national elections... →
Promises kept and broken in the African National Congress’ election manifestos: 2019 vs 2024
24th April 2024 South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), launched its 2024 election manifesto on 24 February. Under the slogan “Let’s do... →
State House ‘asking for a bigger budget than all of Kenya’s 47 counties’? Veteran politician Martha Karua’s numbers fall short
17th April 2024 Experienced Kenyan lawmaker Martha Karua was recently the first guest on a video podcast hosted by another veteran politician, former minister... →
As Kenyan president Ruto racks up the air miles, we fact-checked his talking points on taxes and education funding
11th April 2024 Kenyan president William Ruto has been visiting foreign capitals with a message to his compatriots abroad to invest at home. Ruto’s extensive... →
Has Lagos governor made the city one of the world's most liveable? Five claims about Nigeria's business capital fact-checked
8th April 2024 Lagos governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu discussed the challenges of governing the state while defending his record since assuming office in 2019.... →
#ManifestoCheck: Verifying 9 claims from the Democratic Alliance’s ‘Rescue Plan for South Africa’
28th March 2024 South Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), launched its election manifesto on 17 February 2024. According to party leader... →
Unicef Kenya head tabled stats on child poverty, health and the economy - but do her figures add up?
14th March 2024 As the Kenyan government prepares its budget for the new fiscal year starting in July, Unicef, the United Nation's children's agency, has called... →
Fact-checking EFF party leader Julius Malema's manifesto launch speech: 'Nothing has changed since 1994'
13th March 2024 The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the second largest opposition party in South Africa, launched its election manifesto on 10 February 2024. We... →
‘Our land and jobs now. Stop load shedding!’: Fact-checking four big claims in the Economic Freedom Fighters’ 2024 election manifesto
8th March 2024 South Africa’s second largest opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), launched its election manifesto on 10 February 2024, titled... →
‘This is no game’: Fact-checking Songezo Zibi’s Rise Mzansi election manifesto launch speech
23rd February 2024 The newly formed Rise Mzansi party launched its election manifesto in January 2024. We fact-checked seven claims made in the document and found... →
Nigerian diaspora group’s claims on jobs, inflation and national productivity don’t add up
22nd February 2024 In February 2024, a group called the Nigeria Diaspora Youth Coalition made a number of claims about Nigeria’s key economic indicators on X... →
‘For the people, by the people’: Fact-checking 7 claims in Rise Mzansi’s election manifesto
20th February 2024 The new kid on the block, Rise Mzansi, launched its election manifesto on 20 January 2024. The People’s Manifesto was compiled after “almost a... →
‘Democracy’s child’: fact-checking South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2024 state of the nation address
9th February 2024 In a marked departure from recent years, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's eighth state of the nation address started on time, helped in no... →
Bad maths, flawed sources and false claims: Kenya’s education minister, others get key education statistics wrong
8th February 2024 Kenya's education system has been under a relentless spotlight in recent months, with the government criticised for both underfunding and... →
Promises, promises: Following up on Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2023 state of the nation pledges
7th February 2024 “We gather here at a time of crisis,” said president Cyril Ramaphosa during his 2023 state of the nation address. Highlighting loadshedding,... →
Are Nigerians buying the 22nd cheapest petrol in the world? Experts say this is a flawed and misleading comparison
31st January 2024 At the start of 2024, a number of Nigerian newspapers reported that the West African country was the 22nd cheapest place in the world to buy... →
Ruto under pressure? Verifying eight claims on Kenya’s economy and its population
30th January 2024 Kenya’s debt burden remains an issue of national debate, as picked up by the artificial intelligence (AI) tool Africa Check uses to monitor public... →
