#WorldWaterDay: 10 facts – some surprising – about Africa’s water
How many people in the region don’t have safe water? Do Cape Town residents use it mainly for their pools and gardens? Do well-off Nairobians pay less for their water?
Reports: Kenya
#IWD2019: 10 fast – and sometimes startling – facts about women in Africa
As the world marks International Women’s Day, we dug up notable facts gleaned from our work in fact-checking.
How Kenyatta mangled his numbers on Kenyan counties’ development spend
Claim
Kenya’s counties spent 87.3% of their entire budget on recurrent expenditure and 12.7% on development in 2017/18.
Source: President Uhuru Kenyatta (February 2019)
incorrect
Verdict
Counties spent 57.8% of budget on recurrent expenditure and 16.3% on development.
Kenya’s Ruto at Chatham House: verifying the deputy president’s London speech
Claims
Nine claims ranging from diaspora remittances to the constitution, railways, electricity and Kenya’s development.
Source: Kenyan deputy president William Ruto (February 2019)
checked
Verdict
Three correct, two mostly correct, one exaggerated, one incorrect, one misleading and one unproven.
No, 60 days of the ‘average’ Kenyan wage won’t buy you a new iPhone XS
Claim
An average Kenyan will have to work almost 60 days to afford Apple's premium iPhone XS.
Source: Capital FM (January 2019)
misleading
Verdict
“Average wage” excludes informal sector workers.
500,000 or 200,000? President’s numbers for mortgages in Kenya both wide of the mark
Claim
We have less than 500,000 mortgages. I think it is probably closer to 200,000 mortgages.
Source: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta
incorrect
Verdict
There were 26,178 home mortgages in Kenya as at December 2017.
No, Kenya’s capital Nairobi doesn’t rake in KSh10bn a year from Murang’a water
Claim
Nairobi makes KSh10 billion from Murang’a county water every year.
Source: Murang’a county governor Mwangi wa Iria (October 2018)
incorrect
Verdict
Nairobi earned KSh5.1 billion from sale of water in 2016/17 - and not all from Murang'a.
Yes, China is Kenya’s biggest trading partner – but it’s not a balanced trade
Claim
China is Kenya’s number one trading partner.
Source: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (November 2018)
correct
Verdict
China was Kenya’s largest trading partner in 2017.
Does Kenya’s tea-rich Kericho county get ‘nothing’ for its green gold?
Claim
Kenya’s government gets billions of dollars from Kericho’s tea but the county receives nothing.
Source: Kericho governor Paul Chepkwony (September 2018)
incorrect
Verdict
Kericho has received levies and taxes from tea.
Is top ruling Jubilee Party official right about who is paying income tax in Kenya?
Claims
Three claims on tax and employment in Kenya
Source: Raphael Tuju, secretary-general of the Jubilee Party (September 2018)
checked
Verdict
One mostly correct, one incorrect, one correct