IN SHORT: A graphic circulating on social media in Kenya claims president Paul Kagame threatened civil society for receiving foreign funding to stir chaos in Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. But the graphic is fake.
A graphic attributing a quote to Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame is circulating social media in Kenya. In the graphic Kagame hints that foreign funding is responsible for activism in three East African countries.
The quote reads: “We have seen this movie before. Foreign money disguised as ‘civil society’ fuelling chaos in sovereign nations. What begins as hashtags ends in funerals. Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda should not tolerate being another laboratory of chaos.”
The graphic features Kagame’s image and the logo of Kenyans.co.ke, suggesting that the Kenyan digital news outlet published it.
Activists from East Africa travelled to Tanzania to observe the treason trial for opposition leader Tundu Lissu on 19 May 2025. After some were detained and deported, Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu warned activists against meddling in Tanzanian affairs. Kenya’s president William Ruto also warned against foreign interests during the finance bill protests in June 2024.
But is the graphic quoting Kagame legitimate? We checked.
Graphic is fake
An analysis of past graphics from Kenyans.co.ke revealed that a white logo was missing in the circulating graphic. Another telltale sign is that the circulating graphic is missing the date of publication.
Furthermore, the circulating graphic has not been published on the official Facebook page of Kenyans.co.ke and no credible news outlets reported on the supposed quote from Kagame. If he had made such a statement, it would’ve made headlines.
Africa Check also reached out to Kenyans.co.ke, who confirmed that the graphic was fake.
When reading news on social media, it’s important to be cautious and always verify the information with credible news sources.
The graphic is fake and should be ignored.
