This post on X (formerly Twitter) claims to show the front page of The Star, dated November 22, 2023.
Background
Ann Njeri Njoroge is the woman in the middle of the controversial Sh17 billion oil cargo. On November 12, 2023, her lawyer, Cliff Ombeta, claimed she went missing after recording her statement at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. She showed up at the Mombasa High Court four days after she was reported missing, claiming her abductors ordered her to withdraw the case and leave the country. On November 22, 2023, she failed to appear before the National Assembly’s Energy Committee to respond to questions on the source and ownership of the fuel.
Verification
The image bears all the legitimate features of The Star newspaper’s front pages. The layout of the page elements; font, and colors make this appear believable.
However, the headline on the post on X does not match what was uploaded on The Star’s official website here. The information in the masthead of the fabricated front page is similar to the original. Only the headline and the image were altered. See screengrab below;
The Star, through a post on their official accounts on X and Facebook, dismissed the front page as fake.
Piga Firimbi previously debunked fake front pages of The Star newspaper front pages here, here, and here.
Verdict
The front page allegedly of The Star newspaper is FAKE.
This fact-check was edited by Piga Firimbi Fact-Checking Editor Linda Ngari.
Add comment