FALSE: This photo doesn’t show police officer posing as journalist during anti-governmental protests 

The image shows an African Uncensored journalist who was arrested in March 2023.

This photo shared on Twitter on 20 July 2023 supposedly showing a police officer impersonating a journalist during anti-government protests in Nairobi is FALSE.

The tweet reads “Plainclothes officers impersonating journalists. Stay vigilant, protesters. Journalists, expose their tactics. Know your surroundings for safety. Let’s fight against police brutality and harassment. Stay strong.”

Google reverse image search led us to articles by People Daily and Mpasho News indicating that the maon in the picture is a journalist at Africa Uncensored.

In the tweet’s comment section, Mtoto News found a post by Africa Uncensored CEO John-Allan Namu confirming that the man in the photo is a journalist at his media house.

“Take this down. He isn’t an undercover officer, he works for @afuncensored,” he tweeted

Allan Namu also shared a debunk by Piga Firimbi confirming that the man in the photo is Clinton Obere, a photojournalist at Africa Uncensored.

According to Piga Firimbi, the photo is from an incident in March 2023 where Obere was arrested with his colleague while covering anti-government protests in Mathare.

Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi also released a statement confirming that the photo is of a journalist at Africa Uncensored and not an undercover police officer.

Although there was an instance where a police officer posed as a journalist during the anti-government protests, this photo is a wrong misrepresentation and therefore misleading.

Mtoto News examined a photo on Twitter supposedly showing a police officer impersonating a journalist during anti-government protests in Nairobi and found it to be FALSE.

This fact-check was published by Mtoto News with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and African Fact-Checking Alliance.