This image shared here and here is claimed to show Japheth Koome stoning Raila Odinga’s motorcade in 2017 when he was Nairobi County Commander. Similar claims were made here, here and here using an image of the photograph in The Standard newspaper.
Background
Kenya Police Service has been accused of using unduly force during the recent wave of anti-government protests in Kenya. According to Amnesty International, 24 people were killed in Kisumu and Kisii during the unrest due to police brutality. However, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome has denied the accusations of police brutality.
Verification
A reverse image search of the image reveals that it began surfacing online on November 17, 2017, with posts shared here and here indicating that the man in the image is the then Nairobi Central OCPD Robinson Thuku. The image was also published in The Standard newspaper as seen in this video from the live broadcast aired on November 20, 2017.
The caption beside the image published in the newspaper does not explicitly mention Japhet Koome as the officer stoning the vehicle.
Willis Awandu, the photographer who took the photograph in 2017 spoke to Piga Firimbi and said that the police officer in the image was indeed Robinson Thuku. “He was Former OCPD at Central Police Station,” Willis clarified. Articles published during that period here and here identify Robinson Thuku as OCPD Nairobi Central Police Station.
Verdict
Claims that the image shows Inspector General Japhet Koome stoning Raila Odinga’s motorcade in 2017 are 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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