Fact check: President Ruto did not introduce Soipan Tuya as his ex-girlfriend

A video circulating online purports to show Kenyan President William Ruto introducing Defence Cabinet Secretary nominee Soipan Tuya, as his ex-girlfriend. 

The video, which has been widely shared especially on  X, YouTube, and even TikTok- here, here and here, has generated significant attention and sparked controversy, with many viewers believing it to be genuine. 

Context

On July 11, 2024, President Ruto dismissed his entire cabinet following weeks of nationwide protests against proposed tax hikes. This decision came after widespread unrest and deadly violence, which forced him to abandon the Finance Act, 2024 and address the public’s grievances.

In his televised address, Mr Ruto announced that he would engage in extensive consultations to form a broad-based government, aiming to include various political formations and sectors.

Despite this effort, his choice for the new cabinet has faced criticism. Critics argue that some of the re-nominated CSs, such as Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Aden Duale (Environment), and Soipan Tuya (Defence), do not represent the change needed to address the country’s challenges.

Ms Tuya faced scrutiny and online attacks following her nomination to the top State job.  

Analysis of the Video

A reverse search for the video in question leads to the National Tree Planting Day on May 10, 2024, where President Ruto was leading tree planting exercise at Kiambicho Forest in Murang'a County as seen in a video posted by State House Kenyas’ YouTube Channel.

This event was also highlighted by NTV. In the original footage, Ruto briefly speaks about his relationship with his wife, Rachel Ruto before introducing Ms Tuya.

However, the altered video has been edited to insert a false statement about Soipan Tuya, creating the impression that Mr Ruto made a personal disclosure about their past relationship.

Visual and Audio Discrepancies

• Lip-Sync Issues:A close examination of the video shows that the synchronisation between Ruto's lip movements and the audio is inconsistent, a common sign of video tampering.
• Audio Quality: The audio clip mentioning Soipan Tuya as Ruto's ex-girlfriend has an inconsistent tone compared to the rest of the speech, indicating it was spliced from the original footage.

Verdict

The video claiming that President William Ruto introduced CS nominee Soipan Tuya as his ex-girlfriend is a DOCTORED piece of media designed to propagate a misleading narrative.