This post on X (archived here) contains a video of a tree gushing water from its trunk. The post claims that the tree is from Kisii.
Background
Kisii is a region in the South Nyanza region in the Western part of Kenya, native to the Bantu tribe of Abagusii. Kisii has over the years been on the receiving end of social media sarcasm and jest over a variety of issues ranging from antics of the comic Kisii musician Embarambamba and the gouging of a child’s eyes over land land issues.
Kisii has also trended online over claims of witchcraft, something prevalent in the region. This could possibly be the motive behind the claim above.
Verification
A reverse image search leads to a page with articles about the tree. One of the links on the landing page leads to a YouTube video showing the tree. Buildings in the background indicate that this is the same location as on the X video.
Screenshot from Twitter Video
Screenshot from YouTube Video
A Google search using the keywords “water tree of Montenegro” leads to multiple results that include this article by BBC. The tree is a mulberry tree located in the village of Dinosa, Montenegro, according to the BBC article and Wikipedia. The tree is also known as the “gushing water tree” and can be seen on Google Maps.
According to the BBC report, the tree grows where there is an underground spring and at the end of winter, pressure from pent-up groundwater forces water through the tree’s hollow trunk. The phenomenon occurs once every year and lasts for a day or two.
Verdict
The claim that a tree gushing water is located in Kisii is FALSE.
This fact check was published by Piga Firimbi with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and African Fact-Checking Alliance.
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