BY: Frank Abura
Attached to this post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on May 16th, 2026, is a video claiming to show “over 1 million Kenyans” working at the Bomas International Convention Centre project. The post attracted more than 200,000 views and significant engagement from users on X.
Background
The claim emerged during increased government promotion of major infrastructure projects under President Ruto’s administration, particularly projects linked to housing, roads, and conference facilities.
The Bomas International Convention Centre project is part of the planned redevelopment and modernisation of the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi. The KSh30 billion infrastructure project began in March 2025, aiming to expand and modernise Kenya’s capacity to host large-scale international conferences and events. In December 2025, President William Ruto announced that construction would be completed by April 2026. Large infrastructure projects in Kenya often employ thousands of workers, including engineers, casual labourers, suppliers, transport workers, and subcontractors. Government officials have frequently highlighted such projects as part of efforts to address unemployment, especially among young people.
Verification
The video in the post does not match what the caption claims. The caption states that over 1 million Kenyans are working at the Bomas International Convention Centre. However, a Google reverse image search shows the video actually shows Kenya’s President William Ruto inspecting the Talanta Sports City Construction project.
Screengrabs showing similarities between the video allegedly showing people working at the Bomas International Convention Centre project and President Ruto inspecting the Talanta Sports City Construction project.
During an inspection tour of the Bomas International Convention Centre project in Nairobi in April 2026, President William Ruto stated that the construction was employing about 3,000 workers daily. Kenyan media outlets, including Capital News, The Star Kenya and TV47 Digital also reported similar figures.
Screengrab from the President’s official account on X.
Available evidence from major global infrastructure projects shows that even mega-projects generally employ tens of thousands of workers, not one million people at a single construction site.
Verdict
Claims that the video shows people working on the Bomas International Convention Centre project are FALSE.
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