Are Photos Showing William Ruto Meeting Joe Biden Legitimate?

Three photos have been making rounds on the internet, claiming to show Deputy President William Ruto at a meeting with US president, Joe Biden. Similarly, shared on Facebook and Twitter, these claims were packaged in different statements.

One, for instance, reads, “Finally, DP William Ruto meets President Joe Biden in White House.” While another supposedly taken in the president’s office is quoted saying, “DP is currently meeting the US president at the White House. Biden has assured Ruto the coming elections will be free and fair.” 

The third one, in the same breath, as the other two is quoted saying, “Chief hustler DP Ruto in White House, one on one with Joe Biden discussing the Bottom-Up Economy Models Success.”

Background

On February 28, 2022, Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto left the country for a 10-day trip to the United States and the United Kingdom. Ruto is expected to meet members of the United State’s Security Council, Kenyans living in the UK, and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Images of this kind are not strange both on the internet and also on Piga Firimbi’s desk. The most recent one checked by Piga Firimbi was an altered image of Kirinyaga’s Women Representative, Wangui Ngirici.

Verification

The first image is an edited image of Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi. The original photo was taken at the G20 World Leaders’ Summit. This reverse image search leads to a New York Post article featuring the image.

The second image on the other hand was taken during a Zoom call between President Biden and the Quad leaders; Prime Ministers Scott Morrison, Narendra Modi and Kishida Fumio, to address the ongoing attack on Ukraine. 

The third image, just like the rest, wasn’t taken during a meeting between DP Ruto and US President Biden as alleged. This one is an edited photo taken during a meeting between President Uhuru and President Biden. Additional results lead to a press statement published by the White House containing the image.

At his recent 10-day tour, there is no evidence that DP William Ruto met US president Joe Biden. There are no images shared on each of their social media accounts. That is, the White House’s Facebook account or DP Ruto’s Twitter account.

Verdict

Images claiming to show William Ruto meeting US President Joe Biden are DOCTORED. 

This story was produced by Africa Uncensored in partnership with Code for Africa with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.

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