The photo is of Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza standing on a makeshift bridge during the launch of the 1.3 km Mate-Gathima-Tosha Road which will include building a new bridge.
This post on X (formerly Twitter) by Propesa TV claims that Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza launched a wooden bridge worth Sh 63 million, but this is false.
The image shows Mwangaza in a safety jacket standing on a wooden bridge surrounded by a group of people. A barricade tape can also be seen on the bridge.
VERIFICATION
A review of the image using reverse image search led to a post on X that revealed that the image was captured at an operation site by the governor during the launch of the third-year phase of rehabilitating access roads in the underserved areas of Meru Town.
A further review of the governor’s official Facebook page to verify the information established that the post by Propesa TV shared a cropped version of the original photo which shows ongoing construction.
According to the post on the governor’s page, Mwangaza visited Gitimbine, Mjini and Majengo in Meru town, and launched the construction of the 1.3 km Mate-Gathima-Tosha Road, which includes building a bridge.
She also noted that the project is a collaboration with Community Road Empowerment (CORE-Kenya), a non-governmental organisation funded by the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) through the World Bank, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), Ministry of Roads and Transport and the local community.
In its official X account, CORE MERU(@core_jsdfmeru) also posted images from the site visit led by Governor Mwangaza.
The project was also shared on the Meru County website and social media pages here and here.
VERDICT
Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza didn’t launch a wooden bridge costing Kshs 63 million as alleged by Propesa TV.
This fact-check was produced by Lake Region Bulletin, under the African Fact-Checking Incubator programme, with support from PesaCheck, Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, and the African Fact-Checking Alliance(AFCA).
