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The image is of the Ken Jones Aerodrome airport in Jamaica.
This Facebook post with an image supposedly of an airstrip in Kericho, Kenya is FALSE.
The aerial shot captures the landing strip next to a water body.
Also known as Karenga airstrip, the facility consists of a 1.2-kilometer landing strip according to the Ministry of Roads and Transport.
However, an image posted by the ministry in October 2023, alongside an update on the construction progress of the airstrip, is different from the image we are fact-checking.
The runway is not tarmacked, raising suspicion that the claimed image was not taken in Kericho. There is also no waterbody visible in the image.
https://transport.go.ke/inspection-tour-karenga-airstrip-kericho-county?source=post_page—–752f82340866——————————–
Images accompanying news reports by Kenyan media organisations about Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s tour of the new facility corroborate the evidence that the airstrip isn’t tarmacked; here and here.
A Google reverse image search returns a number of results revealing that the image we are fact-checking was not even taken in Kenya.
Among the results is an Instagram post indicating that the image shows Ken Jones Aerodrome. An internet search with the keywords “ken jones aerodrome” shows that the airstrip is located in Jamaica. Another Instagram account posted the image in 2022.
A video shared on YouTube depicting the landing of a plane on the Ken Jones Aerodrome captures the same scene as the claimed image under investigation.
Another image taken from a different angle was shared on Facebook in 2022 shows that the water body is on both sides of the airstrip.
Additionally, images from Google Maps contain key similarities with the image we are fact-checking including the water body, and the number ‘27’ appearing on the tarmac among other markings.
Another image shared on the Jamaica Information Service website also corroborates the evidence that the image was taken in Jamaica.
PesaCheck has examined the image claiming to show an airstrip in Kericho, Kenya and found it to be FALSE.
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 senior fact-checker Simon Muli and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Cédrick Irakoze.
The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck’s managing editor Doreen Wainainah.