By Edwin Tumbo.
On August 24, 2026, an X user, Wilson, posted a graphic with Kenyans.co.ke’s logo and design and caption, “If you know the cost of living is high, why are you living.”. The quote is attributed to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
The post has garnered over 44k views and 990 reposts.
Background
Kipchumba Murkomen is the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, Kenya. Around the time the claim was making rounds on social media, Murkomen had slammed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua regarding his sentiments on the high cost of living. However, Murkomen has been making remarks such as a shoot-to-kill order to the police during 2025 Gen Z demonstrations, which have been termed reckless.
Verification
The news graphic has been digitally manipulated to make it appear as though it was published by Kenyans.co.ke. The top-left corner of the graphic does not feature the Kenyans.co.ke logo, unlike the media outlet’s standard news graphics.
A search for the image of Murkomen used in the circulating graphic leads to an original Kenyans.co.ke post published on August 12, 2026. However, the original graphic carried a different caption: “Rigathi Gachagua will exploit anything under the sun to resuscitate a failed political career – CS Murkomen.”
The differences between the original graphic and the circulating version, including the altered caption and missing Kenyans.co.ke branding, show that the latter was digitally manipulated.
Screengrabs for legit news graphic and fake news graphic
Verdict
The news graphic is FAKE.
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