Has Francis Atwoli Vowed to Support Ruto’s Presidential Bid?

An image circulating online alleges that Francis Atwoli offered his support and advice to William Ruto for the upcoming August 9 general elections.

Background

Various publications went on to publish articles claiming that Francis Atwoli has shifted his allegiance from Azimio la Umoja to the Kenya Kwanza Coalition. Quoting the trade union leader, the image reads, “Ruto is smart, I will help him win presidency- Atwoli finally says, issues demands to DP Ruto.” Other articles here read “I swear Ruto will become president.”

A Twitter post by NTV captioned, “Ruto will become president if he stops calling me ‘mzee wa nyororo”.

Verification

The source of the image is an article uploaded on Opera News on June 18, 2022. 

The excerpt in question is from an interview NTV published on their YouTube channel on June 16, 2022.

When asked less than a minute later whether it is too late to offer his said advice, the COTU boss says, “Not for this year. Because he [Ruto] is not going to become president.” More recently, he was present at an Azimio la Umoja rally in Western on June 30, 2022, where he repeatedly opposed a William Ruto presidency. This contradicts claims made online, proving that this is a case of mis-contextualization as a piece of a 21-min clip was posted out of context to create a false narrative.

Verdict

Claims that Francis Atwoli has offered his support and advice to Ruto for his presidential bid are FALSE.

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