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We are pleased to invite members of the Africa Facts Network, the wider fact-checking community and all stakeholders working to strengthen information integrity to submit proposals for presentation at the 5th Africa Facts Summit, taking place in the final quarter of 2026.

The Summit brings together practitioners, researchers, journalists and advocates working to counter disinformation and strengthen information ecosystems across the continent.

This year, we are looking for a range of engaging session formats, from presentations and panel discussions to workshops, exhibitions and other creative approaches.

Key themes for 2026 include:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & the information ecosystem
• Disinformation networks, platforms & power
• Elections, democracy & information integrity
• Conflict, crisis & high-risk information environments
• Foreign influence & geopolitics
• Health, science & environmental information
• Economic narratives, financial scams & digital fraud
• Trust, media literacy & public resilience
• Sustainability of the information integrity ecosystem
• Data, research & measuring impact
• And related topics

We encourage innovative, evidence-based, and practice-driven proposals that advance information integrity across Africa.

Deadline: Tuesday, 30 June (midnight)
For enquiries: hlalani@africacheck.org

• Defending higher fuel prices, president William Ruto says Kenya should be compared to other "middle-income" countries – not its "least-developed" neighbours. But the data tells a more complicated story.
• Not all of Kenya’s neighbours are low-income: Tanzania, like Kenya, is lower-middle-income. Dropping the "lower" blurs the picture – and the "middle-income” category itself groups together very different economies, making simple comparisons misleading.
• Fuel prices are also shaped by a mix of factors like oil production, taxes and infrastructure – not income level alone. Ruto’s claims about roads also don’t hold up – the data shows Kenya does not have more paved roads than all its neighbours combined.

Recommended reading

• A tale of twists and turns in Kenyatta’s claims about improving Kenya’s roads.
• President William Ruto used his third state of the nation address to claim major progress in his first term. We dug into the numbers to see if his facts held up.
• In June 2025, president William Ruto marked 1,000 days in office, shortly after Kenya’s 62nd self-rule anniversary. We examine some of his key claims at the halfway point of his tenure.

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, despite being widely shared. 

FALSE: Viral posts claim a 1990s photo shows Nelson Mandela, George Soros and a young Geordin Hill-Lewis. But there’s no evidence linking Hill-Lewis to the image – the child is likely Soros’s son, Alexander.  

FALSE: Videos promoting bizarre household “remedies” for penis growth are just engagement bait. The actual science on penile enlargement is complex and inconclusive.

FALSE: Pomegranate shows promise in lab studies  – but there’s no evidence it can prevent, treat or cure cancer, despite what viral Facebook posts claim.

FALSE: There's no evidence that Bill Gates ever said “3 billion people need to die”. The claim comes from a debunked conspiracy video based on misquotes and false "depopulation" narratives.

FALSE: A WhatsApp message claims applications are open for a “students laptop scheme 2026” offering free laptops to thousands of students. It’s a scam.

Kenya 🇰🇪

FALSE: After an accident that killed Kenyan lawmaker Johana Ng’eno and five others in February 2026, an image of a supposed second helicopter crash began circulating online. But its AI-generated – no such crash happened.

FAKE: A graphic on Facebook claims to show a Mizani Africa opinion poll for Kenya's Rongo constituency. The firm has disowned it as fake.

SCAM: A Facebook page impersonates Watu – a legitimate asset finance company in Kenya – to advertise motorbikes and household products at unbelievably low prices. It's a scam.

SCAM: A job advert posted on Facebook claims Kenya Railways is hiring nationwide and asks applicants to apply via a Gmail address. The corporation has flagged it as fake and says all applications are only accepted via its official website.

Nigeria 🇳🇬

FALSE: Several Facebook posts in April 2026 claim the Nigerian army “recently” arrested nearly 500 Boko Haram members in Abia state. But the video is old and unrelated to current insecurity.

FALSE: A viral video on Facebook in Nigeria claims Fulani terrorists were attempting to take over Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, in April 2026. Police say the claim is false and misleading. 

SCAM: A variety of Facebook pages clam to offer vehicles for auction from the Nigeria Customs Service. But all official auctions are conducted only via the agency's official website. Ignore any social media posts claiming otherwise.

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Your weekly dose of facts in newsletter form is created by Laura Kapelari (@laurakapelari). It is edited by Lee Mwiti (@LMAfrican) and Cayley Clifford (@cayleyclifford).