Fake graphic spreads sexist narrative against Kenya's chief justice Martha Koome
IN SHORT: According to this graphic, Kenyan MP Julius Taitumu criticised former president Uhuru Kenyatta for appointing women to senior positions, including chief justice Martha Koome. But the graphic is fake.
A graphic allegedly published by NTV Kenya is doing the rounds on Facebook.
The graphic, dated 24 February 2025, features an image of Igembe North member of parliament Julius Taitumu alongside a quote attributed to him.
The text on the graphic reads: "Retired President Uhuru erred by allowing women to hold high-ranking positions like Chief Justice. CJ Martha Koome isn't fit to occupy such a position. As Meru community, we have very many men judges who qualifies to replace her."
Uhuru Kenyatta served as president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Igembe North is one of the constituencies in Meru county. It is home to the community of the same name, from which Koome hails.
The graphic began circulating amid reports that chief justice Martha Koome, her deputy Philomena Mwilu and three supreme court judges had gone to court to challenge petitions seeking their removal for alleged misconduct and incompetence.
Koome argued that the petitions were aimed at creating a constitutional crisis.
Sexist narrative
The alleged comment on the graphic, if true, would be a blatantly sexist statement that reinforces gender bias in leadership by suggesting that women should not hold high positions. It also implies that CJ Koome is unfit for office solely because of her gender.
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The graphic use of "men judges" from the Meru community as better suited to the role promotes a patriarchal view that excludes women from leadership based on societal norms rather than merit.
Such sexist narratives contradict constitutional principles that guarantee non-discrimination in leadership appointments.
But did Taitumu make such a statement? We checked.
Red flags
There are several red flags indicating that the graphic is fake.
Reputable news outlets would have covered such a blatantly sexist story, but this was not the case.
We could also not find the graphic in question on NTV Kenya's official social media platforms, where the broadcaster regularly posts such news updates.
The card contains grammatical errors, such as "judges who qualifies" instead of "judges who qualify". Errors like this are unusual in professional media graphics.
On 25 February 2025, NTV Kenya posted the circulating graphic on its official social media platforms and dismissed it as fake.
"Please be advised that this card doing rounds on social media is fake. If you can't find it on NTV Kenya's official pages, treat it as fake!" wrote NTV Kenya.
The graphic has been fabricated. It is not an authentic NTV Kenya post, and there is no evidence that MP Taitumu made these remarks.
