By: Jackson Ngari
A post circulating on Facebook claims that presidential aspirant Fred Matiang’i said he would close Kisii State Lodge if elected president.
The graphic reads:
“I will close Kisii State Lodge once elected as president.”
It carries the Kenyans.co.ke logo, creating the impression that the news outlet reported the statement.
The claim began circulating shortly after Matiang’i appeared in a television interview where he discussed government expenditure on State Houses and State Lodges.
If authentic, the statement would signal a specific policy position targeting a State Lodge located in Matiang’i’s home region, making verification necessary.
Background
Kisii State Lodge is one of Kenya’s official presidential residences used during state visits to the region.
Matiang’i, a former Cabinet Secretary and a presidential aspirant, recently appeared in a televised interview where he outlined his views on reducing government expenditure. Soon after the interview, social media users began sharing a graphic claiming he had specifically pledged to close Kisii State Lodge.
This is not the first time Fred Matiang’i has been targeted by misleading content online. In May 2023, Piga Firimbi fact-checked viral social media posts claiming images of Matiang’i with President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto had been taken on March 13, 2023, suggesting a political rapprochement following his questioning by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Verification established that the images were old; one was taken at State House in 2022 and the other at the Michael Joseph Centre in 2019, and had been recirculated out of context to support a false narrative. The latest fabricated quote follows a similar pattern of using manipulated or misleading content involving Matiang’i to misinform the public.
Verification
Piga Firimbi searched Kenyans.co.ke’s official website and verified social media accounts but found no evidence that the publication ever shared the graphic.
We then reviewed Matiang’i’s interview, aired on August 10, 2026, and located the section where he discussed State Houses and State Lodges.
During the interview, Matiang’i said:
“Mimi nimesema kila wakati, majaliwa ya mwenyezi Mungu kama mimi ningepata nafasi ya kuwa rais wa nchi hii me nitafunga about half of the State Houses and State Lodges we have.”
Translated into English, he said:
“I have always said, God willing, that if I get the opportunity to become president of this country, I would close about half of the State Houses and State Lodges we have.”
He explained that maintaining numerous State Houses and State Lodges places a financial burden on taxpayers and suggested that some of the funds could instead be redirected to priority sectors.
However, at no point during the interview did he mention Kisii State Lodge or any other State Lodge by name.
The wording in the viral graphic therefore does not match what Matiang’i actually said.
Verdict
The viral graphic claiming Fred Matiang’i said he would close Kisii State Lodge if elected president is FALSE.
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