• The UK Guardian reported that South Africa’s murder rate – 43.72 murders per 100,000 people – was the third-highest in the world.

• While this figure was accurate for 2022, newer data shows at least four countries had rates higher than 45.

• Experts caution that international comparisons have limits, but agree South Africa’s persistently high murder rate is a national crisis.

At Africa Check, we go beyond behind the headlines to test the claims shaping public debate.

Support our work, so we can keep questioning what others take at face value.

• Kenya’s former prime minister Raila Odinga died on 15 October 2025 after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest while taking a morning walk at a hospital in India, where he was being treated.
• Shortly after news outlets confirmed his death, a video seemingly showing his body being covered with a sheet on a hospital bed started circulating online.
• But the video was AI-generated. The "medical staff" around Odinga have visibly deformed fingers and an oversized hand - telltale signs of AI manipulation.
• A reverse image search revealed the video was created from a photo first published in 2017 when Odinga was hospitalised in Mombasa for suspected food poisoning.

• Honouring pioneers: In Dakar, Africa Check's Francophone team lead, Valdez Onanina, presented certificates to Peter Cunliffe-Jones, Assane Diagne and Samba Dialimpa Badji for their pioneering roles in building fact-checking in West Africa. Despite the absence of major platforms, 162 participants from 35 countries took part, showing the field’s resilience.

• Fact-checking in crises: Speakers highlighted the challenges of working amid internet blackouts, epidemics and conflict. Fact-checkers in South Sudan and the DR Congo shared how collaboration and local networks help them to verify critical information under pressure.

• Sustaining the field: Africa now has 18 IFCN-accredited signatories and 59 organisations dedicated to fact-checking, while networks such as the African Fact-Checking Alliance help support rapid verification, including in smaller newsrooms. Summit organisers are also exploring new funding models and planning future conferences to sustain and grow the practice of fact-checking across the continent.

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: A Facebook post claims there is footage of South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, falling to his death from a hotel in France. But the thumbnail image used is from a video that has been online since 2019.

Kenya 🇰🇪

FALSE: Kenya's political landscape is evolving rapidly, with political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections. However, a viral photo appearing to show former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta meeting top politicians to form a new alliance is old and is being shared out of context.

FAKE: A graphic appearing to quote Dorcas Wanjiku Rigathi, the wife of former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of demeaning women leaders is getting attention on social media. But it’s fabricated.

FAKE: A statement allegedly from Kenyan politician Gideon Moi demanding the media house Standard Group, of which his family owns the majority, stop criticising the government in its reporting is fake.

Nigeria 🇳🇬

MISLEADING: Multiple Facebook posts claim that Nigerian president Bola Tinubu’s administration has introduced a 5% fuel surcharge from January 2026, alongside new tax laws. But the surcharge is not new, and there's no confirmation it will begin in January. 

SCAM: Several Facebook posts claim Ghana's president has launched an investment platform called AfriQuantumX. Others show Nigerian politician Peter Obi promoting the platform. But the posts are out to scam unsuspecting users.

FALSE: According to several social media posts, Nigerian minister Nyesom Wike has said the only Igbo man he fears is Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra. There is no evidence he ever said this.

FALSE: Shortly after Nigerian president Bola Tinubu's nomination of Prof Joash Amupitan as the next chair of the country’s electoral commission, social media posts claimed that he was Tinubu’s lead counsel at the 2023 presidential election petition. This is not true.

FALSE: According to several Facebook posts, the governor of Nigeria’s Abia state disparagingly compared the country’s economic hub of Lagos state to a village. The claim is false.

FALSE: Several social media posts claim Russian leader Vladimir Putin has called Nigeria a “British branch in Africa”. There is no evidence that Putin made such a statement and the two countries maintain diplomatic relations.

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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).