By Edwin Omariba Tumbo.
Screengrab of the post allegedly showing Rigathi Gachagua with The Grand Lodge members.
A post on X features an image purportedly showing former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua posing with members of The Grand Lodge of Africa, the governing body of Freemasonry in Africa. The post claims that Gachagua has been confirmed as the next Grand Master and that his installation ceremony is scheduled for July 31, 2026, following a 45-day seclusion at Wamunyoro.
Background
The Grand Lodge is a masonic body that oversees Freemasonry, which originated in England. There are other Grand Lodges in the world that operate independently. In Kenya, there is The Grand Lodge of Africa whose Headquarters are based in Nairobi.
On May 15, 2026, Rigathi Gachagua travelled to London to mobilize election funding ahead of the 2027 polls. The image in question intends to correlate Gachagua’s visit to London and The Grand Lodge. Rigathi Gachagua is the DCP party leader and one of the key leaders of the opposition.
On June 9, 2026, Gachagua took a 45-day break from public political rallies to focus on consultations aimed at uniting opposition leaders behind a single presidential candidate to challenge President William Ruto in the 2027 elections. The claim links the 45-day break to the alleged ceremony.
Verification
A Google Reverse Image Search traced the image to the official website of The Grand Lodge of Africa, where it was originally published. Comparison of the two images shows that the version shared on X was manipulated by replacing the head of the second person from the right with that of Gachagua. Differences in contrast and image quality further indicate that the photo was digitally altered
A screengrab of the altered image on the X account and the original image from The Grand Lodge of Africa website.
Verdict
The image allegedly showing Rigathi Gachagua pictured in The Grand Lodge of Africa’s group photo is DOCTORED.
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