After protesters broke into Kenya’s parliament building in June, disrupting the debate over the controversial 2024 Finance Bill, a video claiming to show the legislators hiding in the bush and eating a meal emerged online. But the claim is false; the video is old and shows Tanzanian politicians at a funeral. AFP Fact Check was able to identify Tanzanian opposition party leader Freeman Mbowe and fellow member of parliament David Mathayo.
On July 5, 2024, a Facebook post shared a video showing men in suits and two women eating outside in the middle of what looks like a plantation. Some Swahili chatter can be heard in the background.
“Hello! What is going on here…Kenyan MPs hiding from Gen Zs (sic),” reads the caption.
Last month, young Kenyans — many from “Generation Z” — led peaceful rallies against proposed tax hikes contained in the Finance Bill 2024, but the demonstrations turned violent, prompting President William Ruto to drop the contentious legislation (archived here).
The same claim was repeated on Facebook, X (here and here) as well as TikTok (here and here).
The video also had more than half a million views on this Nigerian X account, which called on youths from the West African nation to emulate their Kenyan peers.
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