Fact Check: Viral video of Ruto being "heckled" in Bomet is manipulated

A video clip circulating on social media, purportedly showing President William Ruto being heckled on Sunday in Bomet, has been edited.

The clip shared on X shows Ruto on top of his vehicle in Bomet town with residents chanting "Ruto must go".

Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot is among the people who shared the video on their official X platform.

"In Bomet, after the church service yesterday..." he wrote as a caption for the clip.

However, after fact-checking, The Eastleigh Voice has established that the footage has been manipulated to include sounds of dissent from recent demonstrations.

In Bomet, after the church service yesterday, wamesema hawataki ujinga... pic.twitter.com/4iaYc3AYJj

— Ekuru Aukot (@EAukot) July 22, 2024

While Ruto was indeed in Sotik, Bomet County on Sunday for a church service, he did not make a stopover in Bomet town.

Instead, he concluded the event at Chebango AGC church and flew directly to Nairobi, according to officials from his office.

The original footage of the Head of State was taken on March 16, 2024, when Ruto visited Bomet county to launch several development projects in Chepalungu and Bomet town.

In the same event, President Ruto wore white trousers, a cap, and a checked blue and white shirt. The same outfit is seen in the viral video, which falsely claims he was heckled.

Some people who reacted to the video also had the opinion that the video was edited.

"This video is edited. Look closely. Nobody is chanting and chasing him away. My humble opinion," said Moraa Golden.

"Fake news, that is edited!" said John William.

"Boss please respect your name and status for once. How can you share fake and poorly generated video?" Wanyama said.

"This is a clearly edited video sir," said Karanja Mbugua.