The original image is of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the self-proclaimed emperor of the Central African Empire.
Syndicated by Pesacheck
This photo on Facebook, supposedly of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga being crowned a Nigerian elder, is ALTERED.
The image is of Odinga dressed in white and seated on a throne.
“Former PM RailaOdinga has this evening been crowned as a special Osun-Osogbo elder at an invite-only ceremony held at a “sacred grove” along the banks of Osun River, Osogbo City, Nigeria. Weh! Babaman supporters get ready for BBI 2!” the post dated 2 September 2023 reads.
But, is the image authentic?
Google reverse image search established that the original image is of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the self-proclaimed emperor of the Central African Empire.
According to Getty Images, the photo was taken on 4 December 1977 after Bokassa crowned himself in Bangui, the Central African Republic capital. The photo library credited the image to a contributor named Pierre Guillaud.
The photo was also published here, here, and here.
A Google search did not yield credible results for Odinga being crowned a Nigerian elder. Pulse Live and Kenyans.co.ke also debunked the image and found it to be doctored.
On 2 September 2023, when the claim was made, Odinga was attending a funeral in Vihiga County, Kenya.
PesaCheck examined a photo on Facebook, supposedly of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga being crowned a Nigerian elder, and found it to be ALTERED.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.
Have you spotted what you think is fake or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
This fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Rodgers Omondi and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Cédrick Irakoze and acting chief copy editor Francis Mwaniki.
