FACT-CHECK: Fake Graphic Falsely Claims Saudi Crown Prince Wants Kenyans Out of Saudi Arabia

BY: Oluwatoyin Hawal Momolosho 

Claim:

A viral social media graphic bearing the Kenyans.co.ke logo falsely attributes a statement to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, claiming he no longer wants Kenyans, including domestic workers, in Saudi Arabia.

Verdict:

False. The claim is false. The circulating graphic was not published by Kenyans.co.ke, and there is no credible evidence that Mohammed bin Salman made the alleged statement.

Full Text:

A graphic circulating on social media falsely claims that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, has announced that he no longer wants Kenyans in the country.

The graphic features a photograph of the crown prince alongside a statement reading, “Starting next month I don’t want to see eny kenyan in saudi arabia either male or female, even house girls.”

It also carries the logo of Kenyans.co.ke, a Kenyan news outlet, giving the impression that the publication reported the alleged announcement.

Some social media users have shared the graphic, claiming the purported statement was made in retaliation for Kenyan President William Ruto’s directive targeting undocumented foreign traders operating in Kenya.

However, findings by FactCheckAfrica found that the graphic was fabricated and that the quotation was falsely attributed to the Saudi crown prince.

Verification:

FactCheckAfrica examined the circulating graphic and identified several inconsistencies that cast doubt on its authenticity.

First, the graphic has no publication date. Kenyans.co.ke’s news graphics typically include a date beneath the name of the person being quoted. The absence of this detail raises questions about the image’s credibility.

Second, the statement contains spelling and grammatical errors. For example, the word “any” is misspelt as “eny”. Although such mistakes alone do not prove that an image is false, they add to the other inconsistencies identified during the investigation.

FactCheckAfrica also reviewed the verified Facebook and X (formally known as Twitter) accounts of Kenyans.co.ke, where the outlet regularly publishes news graphics. The investigation found no trace of the circulating image on either platform.

Furthermore, no credible Kenyan media outlets had reported the alleged statement by Mohammed bin Salman.

These findings indicate that the graphic was fabricated by an unknown source that used Kenyans.co.ke’s name and branding to make the false quotation appear authentic. However, there is no evidence that Kenyans.co.ke created or published the graphic.

Conclusion:

The claim that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced that he no longer wants Kenyans in Saudi Arabia is False.

There is also no credible evidence that Saudi Arabia has ordered Kenyans, including domestic workers, to leave the country.

The public is advised to verify sensational claims through credible news organisations and official sources before sharing them online.