FACT CHECK: Did The Kenyan Service Party Publish This Letter Renouncing Deputy President William Ruto?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a letter from the Kenyan Service Party (TSP) renouncing Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto as its candidate in the country’s upcoming presidential election. 

Verdict: False

The letter is digitally fabricated. The Service Party refuted this rumor.

Fact Check:

Ruto, a frontrunner in Kenya’s upcoming presidential election, selected businessman and MP Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate in May, according to BBC News. The deputy president’s Kenya Kwanza coalition is now made up of more than 10 political parties, including the TSP, the People Daily reported.

An image shared on Facebook claims the party has since walked back its endorsement of the Ruto-Gachagua ticket. The image shows what appears to be a May 30 letter from the TSP declaring its desire to no longer be associated with the campaign.

The letter claims the party had been “trapped by a cunning and ill-motivated force from another land,” further calling the Ruto-Gachagua ticket “sickeningly ominous in its designs.” The letter references criminal allegations against Ruto and Gachagua.

“The Service Party therefore no longer wishes to be associated with Kenya Kwanza or the Ruto-Rigathi ticket,” the letter concludes. (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Tweet He Will ‘Personally Support’ William Ruto During Kenya’s 2022 Election?)

The letter is digitally fabricated. None of the recent TSP press releases denounce Ruto or the Kenya Kwanza coalition. The party tweeted an image of the supposed letter on May 30, calling it “fake.”

FAKE!!! pic.twitter.com/jOSBk4Kop1

— THE SERVICE PARTY 🇰🇪 (@TheServiceParty) May 30, 2022

The party also posted a June 6 tweet showing a notice in a newspaper about the Kenya Kwanza coalition’s legal establishment, which shows the TSP listed as a member.

#Twajiamini#KenyaKwanza pic.twitter.com/ZlVH3OTxKQ

— THE SERVICE PARTY 🇰🇪 (@TheServiceParty) June 6, 2022

There are no credible news reports suggesting the TSP had renounced the Kenya Kwanza coalition despite concerns about a potential division within the alliance, according to Nation. TSP leader Mwangi Kiunjuri said after a May 24 meeting that Ruto was still the party’s presidential candidate and its commitment to the alliance remained strong, Citizen Digital reported.