This post on X (formerly Twitter) claims to show images from Homa Bay County on June 17, 2025.
The caption in the photo reads, “Homa Bay Town, where Albert was from, you don’t care and yet there are protests in Nairobi? Or did you also agree to retire from protesting?” Homa Bay County is significant because Albert Ojwang’, a teacher and blogger, had been arrested in the village of Kakoth, near Homa Bay Town, and then transported to Nairobi where he died in police custody.
Other posts from the same account purport to show live scenes from Bungoma, Eldoret, Turkana, Kisumu, and Kakamega on the same day.
The images were shared under the hashtags #TulieniTumeskizwa, which translates to “Calm down, they (the government) have heard us,” and #NoToProtests, in a bid to counter posts calling for protests over police brutality. The posts are intended to give the impression that the protests are a Nairobi affair and that other counties are not bothered.
Background
The death of Albert Ojwang in police custody sparked national outrage. Ojwang’ was arrested in Homa Bay and transported to Nairobi, where he died in unclear circumstances. Police had initially claimed he died by suicide, alleging he had banged his head against a wall in his cell. This explanation was brought to question, amid evidence that his injuries were not consistent with the events described. , calling for investigations. An autopsy later confirmed that Ojwang’s injuries showed signs of assault, with the pathologist who conducted the procedure dismissing the possibility that Ojwang’ had injured himself.
Efforts to identify those responsible have been hindered. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) revealed that CCTV footage at Central Police Station had been tampered with on June 8, 2025, the same day Ojwang’ was rushed to Mbagathi Hospital. This revelation raised serious concerns about a possible cover-up. Public anger over the lack of accountability led to protests against police brutality on June 17, 2025.
Verification
Piga Firimbi conducted reverse image searches on all the images that seemingly intended to downplay the national significance of the protests.
The image allegedly showing the situation in Homa Bay, where the late Albert Ojwang’ hailed from, is not recent. It was originally shared on January 13, 2023, on President William Ruto’s official X account during the commissioning of the Homa Bay Municipal Market.
The image claiming to show live scenes from Kakamega during the protests is actually from a 5-year-old article by The Standard. The image was used in an article published on August 1, 2019, reporting on the County’s planned facelift.
The image, purporting to show live scenes from Eldoret County, is actually from an NTV news report aired on July 2, 2024. The report highlighted how youth in the county stayed off the streets and did not join the protests. However, the image does not relate to the recent protests held on June 17, 2025.
The image allegedly showing Bungoma County on June 17, 2025, is from another article by The Standard dated November 13, 2019.
The images allegedly showing live scenes from Kisumu and Turkana counties during the June 17, 2025, protests are from the respective county governments’ websites here and here and are unrelated to the events of that day.
Verdict
Claims that these images show live scenes from various counties during the June 17, 2025, protests are FALSE.
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