Africa: Ignore Fabricated Graphic Falsely Quoting Kenyan President William Ruto Lashing Out At African Union

Ignore fabricated graphic falsely quoting Kenyan president William Ruto lashing out at African Union

IN SHORT: A graphic circulating on social media attributes a controversial quote to Kenyan president William Ruto, alleging that he lashed out at the African Union, calling it a “toothless dog” and describing it as corrupt. But both the graphic and the quote are fake.

A graphic attributing controversial remarks to Kenyan president William Ruto is circulating on social media in Kenya.

In the graphic, Ruto appears to call the African Union (AU) a “toothless dog” while also accusing it of denying the late Raila Odinga, Kenya’s candidate for the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), victory in February 2025.

“AU is a toothless dog. They are unfit to rule Africa. Let me not see them loitering anywhere near my country Kenya. They also stole Raila Elections and he was supposed to be the chairman. I will withdraw all Kenyan soldiers from AU. I will join NATO,” the graphic reads.

The graphic was published on 12 April 2026, two days after Ruto spoke about the need for reforms at the AU at a conference in Diani, Kwale county in southern Kenya.

The AUC is the secretariat of the African Union and manages the day-to-day activities of the 55-member bloc. It is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Odinga was a former prime minister of Kenya and a leading opposition figure. He unsuccessfully contested for the chairperson of the AUC, which was won by Mahamoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti. He died in October 2025.

Kenya has contributed soldiers and police officers to AU peace support operations, most notably through missions such as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, which operated from April 2022 to December 2024 and was replaced by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia in January 2025.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or Nato, is a military alliance formed in 1949 in response to a perceived threat from the Russia-controlled Soviet Union.

The graphic quoting Ruto has been widely posted, attracting thousands of engagements.

But can it be trusted? We checked.

Fake graphics, fake quote

Ruto livestreamed the conference held in Diani on his Facebook page. We listened to his speech and found no section where he made such remarks.

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